From the very beginning, the founders of the West Virginia Conference Seminary made sure to include female students. They recognized that there were very intelligent, dedicated, and creative young ladies in the rural areas of West Virginia and they wanted to be sure that they had opportunities for education. Maybe they were thinking of Lenna Lowe Yost.
Lenna Lowe Yost
Trustee 1927-42
On Friday, January 25, 1878 (142 years ago this week) Lenna Lowe was born.
Coming from a very small community, she rose to great prominence in political circles all over the country and served as a trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1927-43.
Lenna’s father died when she was only 8 years old. Her mother operated a hat shop. As many of these rural communities were, the community of Amos was very close-knit.
Lenna the Student
The only year that Lenna attended the West Virginia Conference Seminary was during the academic year 1896-97. She was listed in the Literary, Art, and Music programs. Of the 343 students listed that year, there were five from Amos, a community in Marion County which was in the Fairview area. Joining her at the Seminary were:
- Sue Lillian Yost – (Literary and Elocution) – who was the sister of Lenna’s future husband, Ellis A. Yost.
- Ora Louise Potter – (Literary and Music)
- Claude S. Jarvis – (Literary and Elocution)
- Frank J. Yost (Literary and Elocution) – possibly also related to Ellis Yost. He became a druggist and owned his own store in Fairview.
In only the seventh year, the West Virginia Conference Seminary did not yet offer college level degrees. The first full college class graduated in 1905. The coursework, however, was vigorous and challenging. Lenna and the others from Amos were all enrolled in the Literary Program, and each also chose other areas of study such as Art, Elocution, and Music. Here is the first year curriculum for the Literary Program:
Her science courses would have been taught by a very young Thomas W. Haught.
None of these students from Amos appeared in the catalog for the next year. Some may have gone on to Ohio Wesleyan or other out-of-state schools for their college work.
Lenna in the Early 1900s
In 1899, Lenna Lowe married Ellis A. Yost (6 years her elder, and also from Amos, WV). Ellis received his law degree from West Virginia University in 1908 and became the mayor of Fairview. In 1910 he was elected to the West Virginia Legislature. In 1913, it was the Yost Law that strengthened the Prohibition Laws and led to the Department of Prohibition in the state.
Lenna worked closely with Ellis, and was quite a powerhouse in her own right. She served as the President of the West Virginia Women’s Temperance Union from 1908-18. In 1916 she was also the President of the West Virginia State Suffrage Association. During this time, she gained national recognition for her efforts to ratify the 19th Amendment.
1920s
At long last, the 19th Amendment was ratified in West Virginia on March 10, 1920.
In Wheeling, at the 1920 State Republican Convention, Lenna became the first woman in state history to preside over the convention.
1920 brought another first for Lenna as she became the first woman to serve as a teller in a National Republican Convention in Chicago.
In 1921, Lenna was appointed by President Warren G. Harding to represent the United States at the International Congress Against Alcoholism which was held in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1923, he appointed her to that gathering again, but this time in Copenhagen.
1921 was also the year that she was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education — the first ever to be appointed. She served for twelve years, always championing issues for women. For example, she was quite adamant that the standards in state colleges and universities be high enough so that female students could qualify for membership in the AAUW (Association of American University Women). Is it a coincidence that the Buckhannon Chapter of AAUW was organized in 1928? Click here to read more about the history of that group.
From 1923-32 Lenna Lowe Yost served as a member of the Republican National Committee. Her great work caused her to become a member of the Executive Committee, and to work for women’s issues throughout the country.
1924, at the West Virginia Republican Convention, Lenna was the first woman to be Chair of the Committee on Platform and Politics.
In 1927, Lenna was elected to a position on the West Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees. She served in that role until 1942, and was the third woman to serve on the board. (The first two were Virginia Haymond (1912-17) and Lettie List (1912-19).
The Federal Prison for Women was located in Alderson, WV was located in Alderson, WV largely due to the influence of Lenna Lowe Yost. It opened in 1928.
On June 5, 1929, Lenna Lowe Yost received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from West Virginia Wesleyan, the first woman to be so honored. Interestingly, Thomas W. Haught also received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree the same day.
1930s and Beyond
In 1930, Lenna Lowe Yost was appointed by the Republican National Committee to direct women’s activities throughout the nation. Before being named Director of the Women’s Division for the RNC, she had been working for the committee for no salary. In 1930 she received a salary comparable to the men. She held this post until 1935.
The 1933 Murmurmontis was dedicated to her. I find it a bit interesting that the drawing is of male students, but that may just be an indication that it was all students who appreciated her efforts.
Yes, the founders must have had just such a person in mind.
Be watching for more celebrations of Lenna and her achievements in the coming days! For example, an event on the campus of WVWC on March 10 — the 100th anniversary of her successful work to ratify the 19th Amendment in West Virginia.
Meanwhile, you can check out her page on DreamersAndGiants.