State College Woman's Club

- Documenting the Role of Women in Local History -

Charlotte E. Ray was another Dean of Women and member of the State College Woman's Club. Born in Titusville, PA on February 17, 1880, she began teaching in the public grammar schools of Allegheny County in 1900. Ray taught there until 1919, when she received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Pittsburgh and began teaching at Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh. Before Ray received her Master's Degree in 1924, she had already accepted a summer appointment two years prior to assist the Dean of Women at Penn State. In 1923, Margaret A. Knight resigned as Dean of Women, and Ray replaced her temporarily. After one year of service, she became the permanent replacement.

As Dean of Women, Ray used her judgement to shape and guide her students' conduct. She did so with eloquence and expected proper etiquette from her students. While Ray advocated individuality and insisted that each student think for herself, her gentle discipline guided each student's behavior. Ray's personalized touch on every student earned her lifelong alumnae friends.