White, Edna Noble (1879–1954)

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White, Edna Noble (1879–1954)

American educator and home economist. Born Edna Noble White, June 3, 1879, in Fairmount, IL; died May 4, 1954, in Highland Park, Michigan; dau. of Alexander L. White (town government official and business manager) and Angeline (Noble) White; University of Illinois, AB, 1906.

Educator and home economist who believed in interdisciplinary approach to child development study; was on faculty of home economics department at Ohio State University, becoming full professor, head of department, and supervisor of home economics extension service (1908–late 1920s); with Ruth A. Wardall, wrote A Study of Foods (1914); served as president of American Home Economics Association (1918–20); founed and was director of child development research center, Merrill-Palmer Institute, in Detroit, MI (1920–47), which earned worldwide fame, bringing together pediatricians, nutritionists, psychologists, educators, home economists, and social workers for work on child development; served as chair of National Council on Parent Education (1925–37).

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White, Edna Noble (1879–1954)

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