Marna Venable Brady was the first Dean of Women at the University of Florida. She became dean on September 1, 1948. Brady was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1904. She received a B.S. degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1925, an MA degree from Columbia University in 1928, and an Ed.D. from Columbia University in 1948. She taught at the University of Cincinnati (1925-1927), Bryn Mawr College (1928-1938), and Wheaton College in Massachusetts (1938-1943).
During World War II, from March 1943 to June 1946, Brady served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve. She advanced from the rank of Private to that of Major and she served in the U.S. and in Hawaii. When Brady became Dean of Women there were few resources for women on the UF campus as the university had only recently become co-educational in 1947. Her service in the Marines provided the knowledge and experience she needed in her new role as dean of women.
After retiring as dean in 1966 Brady was an associate professor until 1970 and was accorded emeritus status in 1971. She passed away on May 28, 1984 at eighty years of age.
From the guide to the Marna Venable Brady Papers, 1908-1984, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)
