Penn's first dean of women remembered fondly

Althea Kratz Hottel, who helped chart the course of women's education at Penn as the school's first dean of women, died of congestive heart failure on January 6. She was 92. In her 45-year relationship with the University, Hottel was known as a dedicated scholar, a vigorous advocate for gender and racial equality and a role model to countless Penn alumnae. According to University President Judith Rodin, a College of Women alumnua who became the first woman to head an Ivy League university in 1994, Hottel led the way for women in academia. "I have the greatest respect for the late Dr. Hottel, as a fellow social scientist and pioneering woman in higher education," Rodin said in a statement. "Penn was enriched by her contributions and her presence." Hottel began her academic career at Penn in 1929, earning her bachelor's degree in education. Although after graduation she became a teacher and hospital social worker, Hottel returned to the University in 1934 to receive her master's degree and doctorate in sociology in 1940. "She was extremely active in women's issues," recalled longtime friend Paul Riale, a 1951 Wharton alumnus. "She wrote her dissertation on the incarceration of women in the early 1920s." Quickly moving up the academic ranks, Hottel became a well-respected sociology lecturer and wrote numerous journal articles as well as the book How Fare Women? In 1936, she was named the University's first dean of women. During her 23-year tenure as dean, she also assumed prominent leadership positions as president of the Pennsylvania Association of Deans of Women and as national president of the American Association of University Women, where she led the fight to eliminate racial discrimination in that organization. Upon her retirement in 1959, the University established the "Althea K. Hottel Award," one of the first honors given among senior women on Ivy Day. She was also recognized that year with an honorary doctorate and an appointment to Penn's Board of Trustees. Hottel also made significant contributions outside the University. Named by President Dwight Eisenhower as the U.S. representative to the United Nations' Social Commission of the Economic and Social Council (UNESCO), Hottel conferred with government and business leaders around the world on problems facing youth and education. She also remained dedicated to a number of local, non-profit organizations -- serving on the boards of the Philadelphia World Affairs Council, Y.W.C.A. and the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania. And as chairwoman of the Philadelphia Commission on Higher Education, she helped establish the Community College of Philadelphia in 1964 and was one of its first trustees. Hottell is survived by a brother-in-law, Benjamin. A memorial service at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church as well as one on campus are planned for the spring.

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