are liberated from the time they leave the womb" and that being female had not imposed significant limitations on her medical career. She avoided women's organizations and causes, for the most part. Though she sometimes privately expressed her frustration with sex inequalities (especially in the matter of salaries), she worked around these by consistently pushing into new fields where there was room to exercise her considerable energy and abilities. Music was an integral part of family life, with frequent family music sessions. Apgar played the violin and her brother played piano and organ. She traveled with her violin, often playing in amateur chamber quartets wherever she happened to be. During the 1950s, a friend introduced her to instrument-making, and together they made two violins, a viola and a cello. She was an enthusiastic gardener and enjoyed fly-fishing, golfing and stamp collecting. In her fifties, Apgar started taking flying lessons, stating that her goal was to someday fly under New York's George Washington Bridge. Death Apgar never married or had children, and died of cirrhosis on August 7, 1974, at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. She is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield. Legacy Apgar has continued to earn posthumous recognition for her contributions and achievements. In 1994, she was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 20¢ Great Americans series postage stamp. In November 1995, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. In 1999, she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project. On June 7, 2018, Google celebrated Apgar's 109th birthday with a Google Doodle. Honors and awards Honorary doctorate, Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1964) Honorary doctorate, Mount Holyoke College (1965) Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (1966) Elizabeth Blackwell Award, from the American Women's Medical Association (1966) Honorary doctorate, New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (1967) Alumni Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1973) Ralph M. Waters Award, American Society of Anesthesiologists (1973) Woman of the Year in Science, Ladies Home Journal (1973) Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the New York Academy of Sciences. Inductee into the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2020) Selected works References Further reading External links Virginia Apgar papers at Mount Holyoke College Columbia biography MIT biography PBS National Women's Hall