Anne McGrew Bennett

Anne McGrew Bennett (November 24, 1903 – October 19, 1986) was an American writer and feminist. She was the first woman invited to give a commencement address at the Union Theological Seminary.

Biography

Bennett was born in Lincoln County, Nebraska, to a family of Scotch-Irish homesteaders,[1] in a sod house.[2] She was raised a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and religion played a large role in her life. After high school, she became a teacher in a rural school before taking a degree in elementary education from the University of Nebraska in 1928.

Three years later, she married John C. Bennett; in 1923 she received her MA in religious education[3] from Auburn Seminary.[1] John took teaching positions at various seminaries, and the couple moved back and forth between California and New York. Later in life Anne became a Congregationalist, and began to take an active role in a variety of committees and organizations; she also addressed issues of social justice.[3] Notably, she was a feminist, writing over 60 articles on feminist theology and serving as co-editor of the volume Women in a Strange Land.[2]

She also spoke for peace and against the Vietnam War;[1] she traveled to South Vietnam to discuss peace, and took letters to prisoners of war held in North Vietnam. She was the first woman invited to give a commencement address at the Union Theological Seminary; the school later awarded her its Union Medal for her service to the United Church of Christ. Bennett died in Claremont, California.[2] A collection of her papers is held by the Graduate Theological Union;[1][4] others are held by the Union Theological Seminary.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Inventory of the Anne McGrew Bennett Collection, 1959-84". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Anne Bennett, Christian Feminist Voice, Dies at 82". LA Times. 25 October 1986. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b Susan Hill Lindley; Eleanor J. Stebner (2008). The Westminster Handbook to Women in American Religious History. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-664-22454-7.
  4. ^ "Inventory of the Anne McGrew Bennett Collection, 1959-84". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Anne McGrew Bennett Papers, 1969 - 1989" (PDF). Retrieved 23 August 2018.