Gladys Eloise Beckwith (1929 – December 8, 2020) was an American academic and women's rights activist. She was the co-founder of the Michigan Women's Studies Association and the founder of the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

. Beckwith was one of the first professors of

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

in the United States, teaching at Michigan State University. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2012 for her accomplishments in the fields of education and women's rights.

Early life and education

Beckwith was born in 1929, in Flint, Michigan. She held a B.A. and M.A. in English and a Ph.D. in Education from Michigan State University. MSU then hired her in 1967 to teach in the Department of American Thought and Language (now the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and American Culture in the College of Arts and Letters). She retired in 1999 after 32 years.

Michigan State University Women's Studies

In early 1970, she lobbied for, and with several other MSU faculty, established the women's studies discipline at MSU, focused on women in America. One of the first courses in the program was called "Women in America," focused on national figures such as

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Michigan Women's Studies Association

In 1973, MSU Women's Studies department founded the Michigan Women's Studies Association so that those doing research on female authors and historical figures could more easily share their work. With sponsorship of the association, Beckwith then founded Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, of which she was the unpaid Executive Director for more than 30 years.

Death

Beckwith died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

in Lansing, Michigan, on December 8, 2020, at the age of 91.

Awards

* 1996 - Michigan State University Presidential Award for Community Service * 1998 - Women of Achievement and Courage Award, by the Michigan Women's Foundation * 2005 - Michiganians of the Year, one of twelve, by ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckwith, Gladys 1929 births 2020 deaths Michigan State University faculty People from Flint, Michigan American women's rights activists Michigan State University alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan