Gwendolyn Norrell was born November 12, 1919 in Eudora, Arkansas. She earned her Bachelor of Science in history from Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville (1942), a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the Teachers College at Columbia and a Doctor of Education Degree from Colorado.

Norrell joined the faculty at Michigan State College (now Michigan State University) in 1945. She served as a professor, assistant director of the MSU Counseling Center and as Faculty Athletics Representative prior to her retirement in 1988. When she was named Faculty Athletics Representative in 1979, she became the first woman in the history of the Big Ten Conference to hold the position. She became the highest ranking woman in the NCAA when she served as vice president during the 1983-1984 and 1985-1986 academic years. Michigan State inducted Norrell into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Norrell died on June 15, 2004.

(source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10668674/gwendolyn-norrell)