Frances Bartlett Kinne (May 23, 1917 – May 10, 2020) was an American author, academic administrator, and musician. She was the first female university president to hold that position in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and the second in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early life and education

Frances Kinne was born on May 23, 1917, in

Story City, Iowa Story City is a city in Story County, Iowa. It is located within the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area which envelops the entirety of Story County and combined with the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area makes up the larger Ames-Boo ...

to Bertha Olson Bartlett and Charles M. Bartlett. She graduated high school in 1934 and attended the Iowa State Teachers College (now

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and grad ...

). Kinne received piano lessons at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

during the summers for free. She later attended

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

and received her Bachelors of Music Education during the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. During World War II, she served as a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

hostess for the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

for three years. In 1957, she graduated from the University of Frankfurt, West Germany with a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in Music, English Literature, and Philosophy.

Career

In 1958, Kinne moved to

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

and became an Assistant Professor of

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College u ...

, after being recruited by then-University President Franklyn A. Johnson. She founded the University's College of Fine Arts in 1960 and was named Professor of the Year in both 1961 and 1962. The Business and Professional Women's Clubs of Greater Jacksonville granted her the Distinguished Achievement Award. During her oversight in the 1960s, JU art majors grew by 42%. In 1969, she was chosen to become the first female Dean of a college in the United States, appointed as Dean of the JU College of Fine Arts. In 1973, Kinne received the first awarded Florida Governor's Award For The Arts. She was appointed acting President of Jacksonville University in 1979 after JU President Rob Spiro was asked to resign by the Board of Trustees. While acting President, Kinne established the School of Business and received the EVE of the Decade Award from the Florida Publishing Company. Kinne was inaugurated as the permanent President of Jacksonville University in 1980 and eliminated the University's debt within 18 months of her appointment. During this time, she approved the creation of a new School of Nursing at the University, which graduated its first nursing students in 1983. Kinne launched JU's 50-year Golden Anniversary Campaign in 1983 and successfully raised $16 Million. In 1986, she was added to the Florida Women's Hall of Fame and appointed by

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

to chair the President's Council of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida. Kinne retired as President of Jacksonville University in 1989 and was immediately elected to become the first Chancellor of Jacksonville University by the Board of Trustees. On November 1, 2012, the

City of Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

proclaimed Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne Day. At ''

Jacksonville Business Journal The ''Jacksonville Business Journal'' is a weekly newspaper and daily website in Jacksonville, Florida. Part of the American City Business Journals, it covers business news in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. It began publishing in 1985. The ...

'''s 12th annual Women of Influence Awards, she received the lifetime achievement award.

Personal life

Kinne married her first husband, Colonel Harry L. Kinne, in 1948. He died of cancer at the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

on April 26, 1981. She married Colonel M. Worthington Bordley in 1992. Kinne published a memoir of her life in 2000 titled ''Iowa Girl: The President Wears A Skirt''. Kinne died in Jacksonville, Florida on May 10, 2020, at the age of 102.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinne, Frances 1917 births 2020 deaths People from Story City, Iowa Drake University alumni Goethe University Frankfurt alumni University of Northern Iowa alumni Presidents of Jacksonville University American centenarians Women centenarians

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links