Woman Heads School Board

From The Indianapolis Star, Wednesday, January 12, 1921: Mrs. Julia Belle Tutewiler has the distinction of being the first woman to serve as president of the Indianapolis board of school commissioners. She was elected by the commissioners at last night’s meeting of the board, receiving three votes to one vote each for two other candidates. A former grade-school teacher in the city schools, Mrs. Tutewiler has been a member of the board for seven years. She was elected a school commissioner in 1913 following a strenuous campaign, and succeeded Mary Nicholson who was the first women to have been elected to the city’s board of school commissioners. Believing in maintaining continuity on the board, Mrs. Tutewiler was the only incumbent school commissioner to stand for re-election in 1917, and for the past year has served as the board’s vice president.