Bess Goodykoontz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bess Goodykoontz | |
|---|---|
 Bess Goodykoontz from a 1935 publication of the US Department of the Interior | |
| Born | August 21, 1894 Waukon, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 29, 1990 (aged 95) South Newfane, Vermont, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, federal official |
Bess Goodykoontz (August 21, 1894 – July 29, 1990) was an American educator and federal official. She was assistant US Commissioner of Education from 1929 to 1945.
Goodykoontz was born in Waukon, Iowa, the daughter of Edward Warren Goodykoontz and Lela Sherman Goodykoontz. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Iowa, in 1920 and 1922.[1][2] She was a member of Delta Zeta sorority.[3]
Career
Goodykoontz taught school in Iowa and Wisconsin. She was an assistant professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1920s. She was assistant US Commissioner of Education from 1929[4] to 1946. From 1933 to 1937, she was president of Pi Lambda Theta.[3] During the 1930s, much of her attention was focused on vocational education; she also encouraged the use of motion pictures in educational settings,[5] and testified before a 1933 Senate hearing on teacher salaries.[6] During World War II, she testified before a 1943 Senate hearing on childcare programs to meet the needs of working mothers.[1][7] She frequently spoke at college commencement exercises and teachers' conventions.[8][9][10][11]
After World War II, Goodykoontz was part of the rebuilding effort in Germany.[12] She was director of the elementary education division from 1946 to 1949.[13] In 1950, she was named Associate Commissioner of Education.[12] From 1951 to 1956, she was director of the comparative education division. In 1956, she became director of the international education division. [14] She was president of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education.[1] In 1959 she was named Woman of the Year by Delta Zeta.[14] She retired from the Office of Education in 1960.[1]
