In 2004, at the rear of Sanford Hall, a rambling Napier Hall (1971) was demolished and a new Napier (2005) arose. This residence hall is named for mathematics professor Alice Napier. In a 1943 Colonnade poll, Napier was voted the college's "all-time, greatest teacher." Napier literally devoted her life to Georgia College, teaching mathematics here from 1893 to 1946 – an amazing 53 years!
A precise, fastidious woman who cared deeply about the young women she taught, she was the founder and perennial advisor of the local YWCA chapter, and taught Sunday School in the Methodist Church. Many of her students, such as Euri Belle Bolton and Sara Nelson, became luminaries at the college in later years. For many of the young women at Georgia Normal & Industrial College and Georgia State College for Women, Alice Napier embodied the institution.
By Dr. Bob Wilson, University Historian
