Minnetta Sammis Leonard (1879 – October 15, 1960) was an American educator, and editor of ''The Home Educator'' (1923), a parenting manual.

Early life and education

Sammis was born in Indiana, the daughter of David Sturges Sprague Sammis and Adelaide F. Hall Sammis. Hymn writer

John H. Sammis John H. Sammis (1846–1919) was the writer of the Christianity, Christian hymn "Trust and Obey" with Daniel B. Towner in 1887. Sammis also wrote the hymn "He's a Friend of Mine". Biography Sammis was born in 1846, in Brooklyn, New York. He was ...

was her uncle. She graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1906.

Career

After college, Sammis was Supervisor of Kindergarten Work in the Oglethorpe School at Atlanta University. Leonard taught kindergarten education courses at the

Milwaukee State Normal School Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee was a predecessor institution of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Founded in 1885 as Wisconsin State Normal School, it became Wisconsin State Teachers College-Milwaukee in 1927, and Wisconsin State Coll ...

. She was president of the Wisconsin Kindergarten Association. She served on the advisory board of '' Parents' Magazine,'' and on the editorial board of ''The Home Kindergarten Manual'' (1921). Leonard spoke about her work to community groups, including the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...

. In 1940, she was director of a kindergarten program in Madison, Wisconsin. She visited Indonesia and Japan in 1956 and Hawaii in 1958, while her daughter was abroad. She was active in the Woman's Club of Madison, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. In her last years, she cared for her grandson Ted Reynolds when he was a student in Madison.

Publications

* "The Kindergarten as a Socializing Agency" (1912) * ''The Home Educator: The Foundation Library'' (1923, editor, with

Patty Smith Hill Patty Smith Hill (March 27, 1868 – May 25, 1946)Snyder, Agnes. ''Dauntless Women in Childhood Education, 1856–1931.'' 1972. Washington, D.C.: Association for Childhood Education International. p. 233-270. was an American composer and teacher w ...

) * "The Wisconsin Kindergarten Association" (1925) * ''Best Toys for Children and Their Selection'' (1925) * "Buying the Gift to Fit the Child" (1926) * "A Call on Santa Claus" (1926) * *Buying Toys with an Eye to the Future" * "Toys for Travelers and Stay-at-Homes" (1929)

Personal life

Sammis married English professor Sterling Andrus Leonard in 1913. They had a daughter,

Barbara Leonard Reynolds Barbara Leonard Reynolds (born Barbara Dorrit Leonard; Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 12, 1915 – February 11, 1990), was an American author who became a Quaker, peace activist and educator. In 1951, Reynolds moved with her husband ...

, who became a noted peace activist with her husband,

Earle L. Reynolds Earle L. Reynolds (born Earl Frederick Schoene; October 18, 1910 – January 11, 1998) was an Anthropology, anthropologist, educator, author, Quaker, and peace activist. He was sent to Hiroshima by the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Atomi ...

. Sterling Leonard drowned while canoeing with

I. A. Richards Ivor Armstrong Richards CH (26 February 1893 – 7 September 1979), known as I. A. Richards, was an English educator, literary critic, poet, and rhetorician. His work contributed to the foundations of the New Criticism, a formalist movement ...

on Lake Mendota in 1931. She died in 1960, in Madison, at the age of 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Minnetta Sammis 1879 births 1960 deaths People from Madison, Wisconsin Teachers College, Columbia University alumni American women educators