Florence Purington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 (aged 87) Holyoke, Massachusetts |
| Occupations | College administrator, professor |
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 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
Purington 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]
