Ella Graham Agnew
Ella Graham Agnew | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | March 18, 1871 |
Died | February 5, 1958 (aged 86) |
Education | Smithdeal Business School |
Known for | First woman named a field demonstration agent by the United States Department of Agriculture |
Honours | Certificate of Merit from Virginia Tech (1926) Agnew Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech is named in her honor Virginia Women in History (2000) Historical marker in Crewe, Virginia Scholarship through The Virginia Association For Family and Community Education, Inc. |
Ella Graham Agnew (March 18, 1871 – February 5, 1958) was a Virginia educator and social worker. She was the first woman named a field demonstration agent by the United States Department of Agriculture, and later occupied high-level positions supporting the New Deal.
Life and career
Agnew was born at the family home, Roseland, in Prince Edward County, Virginia, ninth of ten children born to Dr. James Anderson Agnew and Martha Chaffin Scott Agnew.[1] The house soon burned, and the family moved to Burkeville, in neighboring Nottoway County. There her mother died after giving birth to another daughter, Anne Virginia, known as "Jean".[1] Dr. Agnew married again, to Elizabeth McLean, who would raise Ella after the doctor died in 1879.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Ella_Graham_Agnew_and_T.O._Sandy_Historical_Markers_-_panoramio.jpg/220px-Ella_Graham_Agnew_and_T.O._Sandy_Historical_Markers_-_panoramio.jpg)
Agnew began her education in local schools in Nottoway County before studying
Agnew continued her professional life upon her return from Africa; she worked as a teacher in Virginia, an office manager in New York, and general secretary of a number of
Agnew died in Richmond in 1958.
Honors and legacy
Agnew received a Certificate of Merit from Virginia Tech in 1926; she was the first woman to receive the award.[1] Agnew Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech is named in her honor; the first building on campus to be named for a woman, it was completed in 1940 and christened in 1949.[4][7] She was recognized as one of the Virginia Women in History for 2000, the inaugural year of the program.[5] A historical marker in Crewe, Virginia details her accomplishments.[3] A scholarship in her honor exists as well, offered by The Virginia Association For Family and Community Education, Inc. and designed to aid a Virginia student studying nursing or another medical profession.[8]
Agnew's papers are held by the Library of Virginia[9] and Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Ella Graham Agnew (1871–1958)". vt.edu. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Agnew, Ella G. (1871–1958)". encyclopediavirginia.org. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Ella Graham Agnew Marker". hmdb.org. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Agnew Hall – Virginia Tech – Virginia Tech". vt.edu. 21 November 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Virginia Women in History 2000 Ella Graham Agnew". virginia.gov. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8078-4570-7.
- ^ lmrvt (2015-08-06). "Climbing the Water Tower: How Women Went from Intruders to Leaders at Virginia Tech". Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ "Virginia Association for Family and Community Education – Ella G. Agnew Scholarship – College Funding Group". College Funding Group. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "A Guide to the Ella Graham Agnew Papers, ca. 1846–1992 Agnew, Ella Graham, Papers, ca. 1846–1992". virginia.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ "Ella G. Agnew Papers, Ms1989-026". ead.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-26.