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
- ^ a b c d "Inventory of the Anne McGrew Bennett Collection, 1959-84". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ a b c "Anne Bennett, Christian Feminist Voice, Dies at 82". LA Times. 25 October 1986. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Inventory of the Anne McGrew Bennett Collection, 1959-84". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
- ^ "Anne McGrew Bennett Papers, 1969 - 1989" (PDF). Retrieved 23 August 2018.
| International | |
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| National | |
- 1903 births
- 1986 deaths
- American feminists
- American anti–Vietnam War activists
- American religious writers
- American women religious writers
- 20th-century American women writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- People from Lincoln County, Nebraska
- Writers from Nebraska
- Activists from Nebraska
- University of Nebraska alumni
- Auburn Theological Seminary alumni
- 20th-century Disciples of Christ
- American Disciples of Christ
- American people of Scotch-Irish descent
- American Congregationalists
- American women non-fiction writers