Shirley E. Hilger '43
1990 Distinguished Alumna Award for Service to Carroll
The name Shirley E. Hilger '43 is legendary at Carroll. To generations of alumni,
Carroll was synonymous with Shirley Hilger. Miss Hilger joined Carroll’s admission
staff in 1951 as a counselor. She became the dean of admissions in 1968 – then one
of only two women in the country to hold that title in a coeducational college. She
assumed the role of director of admissions in 1990. Her recruiting efforts were tremendous,
and she played a key role in the growth and success of the Carroll student body. When
she retired in 1984, she had personally recruited more than half of Carroll’s alumni.
In her 33-year professional working tenure at Carroll, Shirley touched the lives of
scores of alumni, and to this day many continue to share stories of how their Carroll
experience was shaped and in some cases made possible by Shirley’s efforts.
When Shirley touted the benefits of a Carroll education and experience to prospective
students, she knew exactly what she was talking about. A native of Milwaukee, Shirley
came to Carroll as a student with the common freshman major of “undecided.” She was
rush chairman and treasurer of Theta Pi Delta, program chairman of Kappa Sigma Delta
and a member of Pi Gamma Mu. She graduated in 1943 with a degree in sociology and
psychology, and went on to work for eight years as a social worker in the Milwaukee
public school system before her long tenure at Carroll.
As part of Shirley’s legacy on the Carroll campus, the Shirley E. Hilger Scholarship
is awarded annually in her name to assist students attending Carroll. This unique
award recognizes students with outstanding academic achievement, in the top ten percent
of their high school graduating class, and who also demonstrate financial need.
While Carroll was the focus of much of her energy, Shirley enjoyed many interests.
For more than 40 years, she and her dear friend and business partner Kittie Skelton
owned and managed Waterfront Log Cabins Resort in Door County. Shirley loved being
active and continued to water ski into her 70s. Hilger died in February 2010 at the
age of 87, leaving the majority of her estate to Carroll to support future generation
of students.
