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India Boyer (June 27, 1907- February 9, 1998)

Early life and education
India Boyer was an early licensed female architect who was born to Ethel and Calvin Boyer in Shelby County, Ohio. She was named after India Schoaff, a good family friend. Ethel Boyer was destined to be a pioneer and worked at Perry Township Board of Education as the first woman, while Calvin Boyer was a successful agriculturalist from Perry township, Shelby County, Ohio. India also had two brothers, Ralph and Howard, who both attended Ohio Sate University. With much encouragement from her parents and brothers, she pursued a career in architecture. In 1925, India graduated as valedictorian of her class at Pemberton High School; she also chose Ohio State. That same year, the Department of Architecture opened its doors to women; and six enrolled. Much to her surprise, Boyer found out that military training was a requirement, but she refused to participate in it. The rigorous workload eliminated the other women in the architectural area; only India Boyer remained. "When I learned that I would not be eligible to take the exam, I became very upset and protested my exclusion. I was told that I could not be included in the competition because I might win and there were no facilities for women there."- India Boyer The longer she stuck it out, the more respect she received from the men. Nearing the end of her tenure at Ohio State, the students were expected to compete in an all-day design project. Boyer struggled to understand the expectations, and luckily, two male colleagues came and clarified what it was she has struggling with. During her junior and senior year, she worked for Joseph Bradford, and her dream was to continue to work with him even after her graduation. In 1930, 1,450 student qualified for graduation;of these, only 11 were under the Department of Architecture; and Boyer was the only woman. However, the Great Depression hit and her chance to continue working with Joseph Bradford never materialized.

The Great Depression
During the time that Boyer was in search of a job, the Great Depression hit. She tried to hold a profession in an field in which women were barely accepted,and she struggled on for four years before giving up. After taking an exam for the U.S. Army Corps for Engineers, she was offered and accepted a permanent job working on navigation and flood control projects. Boyer was soon appointed head of the Corps of Engineers' architecture department in 1939 and held that position for seven years.

Architectural Practice
Boyer never gave up her dream of being an architect in private practice. In 1941 she made history as the first woman in Ohio to sit and pass the state architecture exam. After four more years with the Corps of Engineers, Boyer and other colleagues resigned and founded Vogt,Ivers and Associates in Queens City, Cincinnati, Ohio. She became head of the firm and found herself up against tough competition from all-male practices. Boyer's interests ranged from commercial to industrial to recreational and educational buildings. She is well-known in the Cincinnati area for designing the Elmwood Place School in Shawnee Park, the Provident Bank building, and the Federal Building. During this time the Ryerson Steel Company was growing and Boyer helped with their architectural plans.

Late Life and Death
Boyer suffered a heart attack in 1975 and she had to retire early; however, she was still a consultant for Hamilton County District Park. Even after she stopped being active in architecture, India Boyer continued to receive local awards. She received the YMCA Women of Achievement award and in the next year she achieved the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Ohio State University. In 1994 a group of women who considered her a role model established the India Boyer Guild of Women in Architecture, in her honor. She died in Cincinnati on February 9, 1998 at the age of 90.