Iva Durham Vennard (1871 - 1945) was an American educator and religious figure. Born Iva May Durham near Normal,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Vennard was the youngest child of Jacob and Susan Durham; her father, a veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

when she was five. At twelve, she converted and joined the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

. She graduated from the Illinois State Normal School and taught for several years before attending

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

for a year in 1892; further plans to attend

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

never came to fruition. Vennard was a holiness deaconess and evangelist. Having experienced both conversion and sanctification, she founded a training school for deaconesses in St. Louis. This was followed by the foundation, in 1910, of the Chicago Evangelist Institute, of which she remained principal until her death; the school continued as

Vennard College Vennard College was a non-denominational Christian college located in University Park, Iowa, located just outside of Oskaloosa, Iowa. It was announced on Nov. 12, 2008 that the college would close at the end of the 2008 fall semester due to a dec ...

until its closure in 2008. Vennard was also a member of the executive board of the Association of Women Preachers. Her son

William Vennard William Vennard (January 31, 1909 Normal, Illinois – January 10, 1971, Los Angeles, California) was a famous American vocal pedagogist who devoted his life to researching the human voice and its use in singing. He was one of the driving fo ...

was a well-known singer and vocal pedagogist who helped create the discipline of science-informed vocal pedagogy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vennard, Iva Durham 1871 births 1945 deaths Holiness movement Methodists from Illinois Converts to Methodism People from Normal, Illinois Illinois State University alumni Heads of universities and colleges in the United States