Florence E. Purington (August 12, 1862 – May 22, 1950) was an American college administrator and mathematics professor. She was the first dean of Mount Holyoke College, holding that office from 1907 to 1929.
Florence Purington | |
|---|---|
 Florence Purington, from the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections | |
| Born | August 12, 1862 Burnt Hills, New York |
| Died | May 22, 1950 Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Occupation(s) | College administrator, professor |
Early life and education
editFlorence Purington was born in Burnt Hills, New York,[1] the daughter of Lewis Madison Purington and Emily Sherman Purington. She graduated from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1886, and earned a bachelor's degree at Mount Holyoke College in 1896.[2]
Career
editPurington was on the faculty of Mount Holyoke College from 1887 to 1929, at first as a mathematics instructor, and then as treasurer from 1902 to 1907,[3] then as the first dean of the college from 1907 to 1929.[4][5] She was on the board of three women's colleges in India.[3] From 1925 to 1942, she was on the college's board of trustees.[1] In 1926 and 1927 she traveled to India, Ceylon, China, and Japan to visit Mount Holyoke alumnae who were American missionaries working in those countries.[2][6] She was president of the National Association of Deans from 1925 to 1926,[7] and active in the American Association of University Women (AAUW).[3] When she retired in 1929, she was replaced by two women, Alice Brown Frame as dean of residence, and Harriet May Allyn as social dean.[8]
Honors
editThe Florence Purington Prize was established by Mount Holyoke alumnae in 1919, and presented annually to a high-ranking first-year student until 1950.[9][10] The Florence Purington Lectures at Mount Holyoke featured prominent campus visitors, who are given the Purington Chair; Bertrand Russell held the Florence Purlington Visiting Professorship in 1950.[11] Poet W. H. Auden, philosopher Walter Terence Stace,[12] historian Geoffrey Bruun, geneticist Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch,[13] historian John Conway,[14] and politician Shirley Chisholm later occupied the Purington Chair.[15][16]
Personal life
editPurington lived with her sister Emily in South Hadley.[7] She died in 1950, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, aged 87 years.[1][2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Florence Purington, Holyoke Dean, Dies at 87". The Times Dispatch. 1950-05-23. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Collection: Florence Purington correspondence". Mount Holyoke and Hampshire College archives. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ a b c d "Miss Purington, 87, Retired Educator; First Dean of Mount Holyoke and Former Treasurer Dies --Won Alumnae Honors". The New York Times. 1950-05-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "Mount Holyoke's Fund; Dean Purington Announces That It Has Reached $306,117". The New York Times. 1912-03-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ Purington, Florence (October 1917). "Vocational Opportunities as Seen by the College Appointment Bureau". Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly. 1 (3): 146.
- ^ "In the Busy World". The Phi Beta Kappa Key. 6 (4): 232–235. 1926. ISSN 2373-0331. JSTOR 42914050.
- ^ a b "First Dean of Mount Holyoke Dies at 87". Transcript-Telegram. 1950-05-22. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dean Florence Purington of Mt. Holyoke to Serve College for Another Year". Transcript-Telegram. 1928-04-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Grote Wins High Award at Mount Holyoke". The Chattanooga News. 1939-07-31. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florence Purington Prize Records, 1920-1950 Finding Aid". Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, MA. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "Named Lectures and Addresses by Bertrand Russell". The Bertrand Russell Archives. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "Named Visiting Professor at Mount Holyoke". Transcript-Telegram. 1960-02-15. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florence Purington Lecture Wednesday at Mount Holyoke". Transcript-Telegram. 1968-10-21. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Conway Named Visiting History Prof". Daily Hampshire Gazette. 1976-09-16. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-09-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dembner, Alice (1982-08-04). "Contacts, Area Influenced Shirley Chisholm's Choice". Daily Hampshire Gazette. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
- ^ "An Afterword on Shirley Chisholm". The Crisis. 90 (6): 33. June–July 1983.