Minnie Steckel
Minnie Steckel (March 19, 1890 – December 1, 1952) was an American teacher, psychologist, clubwoman, and an activist involved in the women's poll tax repeal movement. Steckel began her career as a school teacher and worked her way up to school principle, superintendent and school psychologist, earning her bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. From 1932 until her death in 1952, she was the dean of women and counselor at Alabama College. She served as president of the local Montevallo chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) from 1937 to 1939, as president of the state chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation and treasurer of the state chapter of the AAUW in 1951.
Minnie Steckel | |
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![]() Steckel in 1928 | |
Born | Minnie Louise Steckel March 19, 1890 |
Died | December 1, 1952 62) | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation | educator, psychologist, women's rights activist |
Years active | 1911–1952 |
Early life and education
Minnie Louise Steckel was born on March 19, 1890 in Woodbine, Kansas to Caroline (née Haske) and William Steckel.[1][2][3] Her parents were immigrants from Germany and her father worked as a blacksmith.[1] In 1906, she enrolled in the Kansas Normal School in Emporia, Kansas.[4] She took her first teaching post in Overbrook, Kansas in 1911, and remained until 1913,[5][6] when she graduated from normal school.[7]
Career
In 1914, Steckel taught in Burlingame, Kansas through the end of the May term in 1915.[8][9] That summer, she enrolled at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and earned her bachelor's degree in 1917.[9][10][11] Following her graduation, she taught at Leavenworth High School for a year[12] and in 1918 taught at the high school in Shenandoah, Iowa.[13] In 1919, she became the superintendent of schools in Blanchard, Iowa.[14] She moved to the high school in Atlantic, Iowa in 1921[15] and served as its principal until 1924.[16] Steckel returned to school at the University of Chicago and completed her master's degree in psychology in 1926. She was hired that year to supervise the counseling department of the Sioux City, Iowa public schools.[17][18] While continuing to work in Sioux City, she completed her research on birth order and intelligence,[19][20] earning her PhD with the thesis Intelligence and Birth Order in Family from the University of Chicago in 1929.[18][21]
In 1930, Steckel was hired as the school counselor and dean of women for Alabama College, the state college for women.[22] She published numerous educational and psychological books and articles and was active in numerous women's clubs including the Alabama Federation of Women's Clubs, the Alabama Mental Hygiene Society, the American Association of University Women, the American Psychological Association, the Business and Professional Women's Foundation and the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, among others.[18] In 1936, the faculty of the college launched a project to research the impact of paying to vote on women.[23] Steckel, who authored the report, found that women's low electoral participation was primarily a result of the poll tax requirement, instead of a lack of interest in politics.[24]
Steckel saw her involvement in clubwork as vital for her aim to encourage and further women's achievements and help her students have more opportunities and options of employment. Among issues she prioritized were women's right to vote and to serve on juries. She also pushed for adoption of a merit based system for employment in the civil service and removal of policies which did not allow married women to work or which paid women less than men.[25] Between 1937 and 1939, she served as president of the Montevallo chapter of the American Association of University Women[26] and in 1940 and 1941, she was elected as president of the Alabama chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation.[27] In 1951, she served as treasurer of the state chapter of the American Association of University Women.[3]
Death and legacy
Steckel died at her home in Montevallo on December 1, 1952. A women's scholarship was named in her honor by the Alabama Federation of Women's Clubs.[18]
References
Citations
- U.S. Census 1900, p. 6A.
- Alabama Deaths 1952.
- The Birmingham News 1952, p. 17.
- The Junction City Weekly Union 1906, p. 6.
- The Junction City Weekly Union 1911, p. 5.
- The Junction City Republic 1913, p. 3.
- The Emporia Weekly Gazette 1913, p. 3.
- The Junction City Republic 1914, p. 6.
- The Burlingame Enterprise 1915, p. 5.
- The Osage County Chronicle 1916, p. 4.
- The University Daily Kansan 1917, p. 3.
- The Herington Times 1918, p. 7.
- The Junction City Republic 1918, p. 8.
- The Junction City Weekly Union 1919, p. 3.
- The Herington Times 1921, p. 5.
- The Herington Sun 1924, p. 2.
- The Sioux City Journal 1926, p. 16.
- The Shelby County Reporter-Democrat 1952, p. 1.
- The Sioux City Journal 1928a, p. 9.
- The Sioux City Journal 1928b, p. 20.
- Moshinksky 1942, p. 60.
- Surles 1930, p. 1.
- Wilkerson-Freeman 2002, p. 352.
- Wilkerson-Freeman 2002, p. 353.
- Dalrymple 1937, p. 10, Magazine Section.
- AAUW 2016.
- The Huntsville Times 1941, p. 8.
Bibliography
- Dalrymple, Dolly (February 7, 1937). "What Is Woman's Status in Alabama?". The Birmingham News. Birminghama, Alabama. p. 10, Magazine Section. Retrieved November 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Moshinksky, Pearl (January 1942). "Social Environment as a Modifying Factor in the Correlation between Maternal Age and Intelligence of Offspring" (PDF). Milbank Quarterly. New York, New York: The Milbank Memorial Fund. 20 (1): 47–60. ISSN 0026-3745. OCLC 5544375905. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- Surles, Flora B. (August 28, 1930). "News From Montevallo: Ala. College Ready to Start Year's Work". The Shelby County Reporter. Columbiana, Alabama. p. 1. Retrieved November 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Wilkerson-Freeman, Sarah (May 2002). "The Second Battle for Woman Suffrage: Alabama White Women, the Poll Tax, and V. O. Key's Master Narrative of Southern Politics". The Journal of Southern History. Athens, Georgia: Southern Historical Association. 68 (2): 333–374. doi:10.2307/3069935. ISSN 0022-4642. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- "1900 U. S. Cenus, Liberty Township, Dickinson County, Kansas". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. June 11, 1900. p. 6A. NARA publication T623, Roll #478, lines 2–11. Retrieved November 20, 2020.(subscription required)
- "5 Features on Parent-Teacher Radio Program". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. January 28, 1928. p. 9. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "AAUW: Montevallo (AL) Branch Skip to content". AAUW Montevallo. Montevallo, Alabama: American Association of University Women. 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- "Alabama Deaths, 1908–1974: Minnie L. Steckel". FamilySearch. Montgomery, Alabama: Department of Health. 1952. Retrieved November 20, 2020.(subscription required)
- "Business Women Name Same Head". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, Alabama. May 18, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Dr. Minnie Steckel Dies at Montevallo". The Shelby County Reporter-Democrat. Columbiana, Alabama. December 4, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Dr. Minnie L. Steckel, Student Counselor at Montevallo, Dies". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. December 2, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Psychologist of City Schools on Leave to Study". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. September 16, 1926. p. 16. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Smartest Kiddies in S.C. Families". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. December 19, 1928. p. 20. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Summer School Grads". The Emporia Weekly Gazette. Emporia, Kansas. August 7, 1913. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
- "University Graduates Record Senior Class". The University Daily Kansan. Lawrence, Kansas. May 22, 1917. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Burlingame Enterprise. Burlingame, Kansas. May 27, 1915. p. 5. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Herington Sun. Herington, Kansas. January 10, 1924. p. 2. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Herington Times. Herington, Kansas. May 30, 1918. p. 7. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Herington Times. Herington, Kansas. June 16, 1921. p. 5. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Junction City Republic. Junction City, Kansas. June 5, 1913. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Junction City Republic. Junction City, Kansas. April 16, 1914. p. 6. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Junction City Republic. Junction City, Kansas. September 12, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Junction City Weekly Union. Junction City, Kansas. September 7, 1906. p. 6. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Junction City Weekly Union. Junction City, Kansas. August 28, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "(untitled)". The Osage County Chronicle. Burlingame, Kansas. December 7, 1916. p. 4. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Woodbine". The Junction City Weekly Union. Junction City, Kansas. September 7, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved November 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.