Virginia “Ginnie” Hislop Cause of Death: 105-Year-Old Westridge Alum Who Received Her Stanford Master’s Degree Dies

Her story inspired many. At just 22 years old, Ginnie had been poised to complete her graduate work at Stanford, with her thesis nearly finished, when history intervened. World War II reshaped her life’s path after her then-boyfriend, George Hislop, was called into military service. She chose to put aside her degree to support him, marking the beginning of a life dedicated to both family and community.

Although she never let that unfinished degree define her, education remained a central thread throughout her century-long journey. Based in Yakima, Washington, Ginnie became a trailblazer in her local community. She chaired the Yakima School Board of Directors, played a pivotal role as a founding board member of Yakima Community College, and helped launch Heritage University, where she proudly served on the board for two decades. Through each endeavor, she worked to expand opportunities for others, embodying her conviction that education could transform lives.

“Without an education, so many doors are closed to you,” Ginnie once reflected. “If you have a basic education, you can follow almost any kind of interest—whether scientific or the arts or the written word.”

Earlier this year, at 105 years old, she had the extraordinary joy of returning to Stanford’s campus to finally receive the degree she had worked for in her youth. The ceremony was not only a celebration of her academic achievement but a tribute to her lifelong perseverance and belief that it is never too late to fulfill a dream.

Ginnie’s ties to education reached back even further, to her formative years at Westridge School in Pasadena, California, where she graduated with the Class of 1936. She recalled with fondness how the school’s founder, Mary Ranney, personally admitted her mid-year through the recommendation of a family friend. “I found Westridge challenging in some ways, and very accepting in others,” she said in a recent reflection. “I don’t imagine that’s changed much.”

Her legacy lives on not just in the institutions she helped shape, but in the countless students whose lives were touched by the opportunities her work made possible. To her family, friends, and community, she was more than an advocate for education—she was an embodiment of dedication, perseverance, and kindness across generations.

Virginia “Ginnie” Hislop’s passing marks the close of an extraordinary chapter in educational history, but her influence will endure in every classroom, every student, and every community shaped by her vision. She leaves behind not only a story of remarkable longevity, but also a reminder that it is never too late to learn, to achieve, and to inspire.