Retirement and Continuing Service
Holmes' career as Dean of Women with the University of Kentucky was one filled with success, awards, and leadership roles. What made Holmes so special to UK was that she was able to foster a true sense of community and family shared among the university's young female students. She also served as a role model all women could look up to.
Of Holmes and her talent as a Dean of Women, the “Lexington Leader" wrote in 1957 that "Dean Holmes is noted for her ability to know the girls and to be familiar with matters which needed personal attention.” Both firm and nurturing, Holmes was loved by the students she cared for for nearly four decades at the University of Kentucky.
In addition to working for the University and raising four children, Holmes found time to donate to a number of charities and associations across the state and the country including the American Association of University women, the Family Welfare Society, and the Kentucky Association of Deans of Women. She was a member of Mortar Board, Cwens, Kappa Delta Pi, the Lexington YWCA board, and on the board of directors of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Additionally, Holmes was honored with many awards during her illustrious career, including Kentucky Mother of the Year in 1944 and the University of Kentucy Sullivan Award in 1966. A UK residence hall was named for her in 1958.
Holmes lived a long life, finally succumbing to illness on May 11, 1982, at the age of 95.
