Photo from Dickinson College Photo Collection

    Josephine Meredith was born on April 14, 1879, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She entered Dickinson College with advance standing in 1899 and was able to graduate with Phi Beta Kappa honors in three years in 1901. After her graduation, Meredith taught in high schools located in Pleasantville, Atlantic City, and Trenton, New Jersey. In 1908 she married Arthur J. Meredith and had one daughter, Christian B. Meredith. She continued to teach in the high school in Woodbury, New Jersey until she came to Dickinson College.
    Meredith began her career here at Dickinson in 1920 as the Dean on Women. Two years later she became an Associate Professor of English. She was in charge of Metzger hall and handled the women's affairs "in a firm, but sympathetic manner"¹. James Henry Morgan, President of the College during intervals of Meredith's time at Dickinson stated that "As Dean of Women she has done much to secure good standards for the social life of the College and to avoid the excesses so greatly deplored where such standards are absent"² . Morgan also mentions that students heartily cooperated with Meredith. She was the first woman to obtain full Professorship at the College in 1943, by becoming Professor of English³.
    Outside of Dickinson College, Meredith was active in numerous church and community events. She was a member of of the National Association of Deans of Women, Pennsylvania Association of Deans of Women, the Y.W.C.A and the A.A.U.W., as well as many local groups in the Carlisle community.
    After twenty-nine years of being the Dean of Women and twenty-seven years as being a Professor of English, Meredith retired in June 1948. Josephine Meredith later died in December of 1964 in West Branch, Iowa.

   Return to Josephine Brunyate Meredith

    -Cynthia L. Mackey '03

Class of 1934     Chronicles Dickinson College

Dickinson 1934 is a project of Prof. Osborne's History 204 Class, Fall Semester 2000.