JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne, Jacksonville University's chancellor emeritus, celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday.
Kinne was a trailblazer in education in Jacksonville and across the nation. She was the first female dean of a college of fine arts. She was then named president of JU, becoming the first female college president in the state of Florida.
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She was also the first woman to join the Rotary Club of Jacksonville and serve as its president.
In December 2015, Kinne became the nation’s oldest commencement speaker when, at the age of 98, she addressed graduates at JU.
The daughter of a newspaper publisher and librarian, Kinne taught piano and music and even served as a public school orchestra conductor before completing college. She went on to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree in music education from Drake University. While her late husband was serving in Germany after the war, she became the first American woman to earn a doctorate from Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitat. That degree was awarded cum laude, with a triple major in music, English literature and philosophy. In addition, five universities have subsequently awarded her honorary doctoral degrees: Lenoir-Rhyne University, Drake University, Wagner College, Flagler College and Jacksonville University.
"My mother was very energetic and was a leader. So I grew up as a little girl thinking that I could do what my mother does," Kinne told News4Jax on Monday. "So she was a great leader and that's what inspired me."
Prior to joining Jacksonville University in 1958 as a professor of humanities, she served as a World War II Army hostess and eventually became the director of three clubs. She later served as a college professor at Tsudo College in Tokyo, Japan, and created volunteer postwar educational programs for Japanese students in Tokyo.
"At the beginning, in some cases, it would be hard because they weren't accustomed to having women in clubs or even in many positions. But I didn't really pay any attention to that," Kinne said. "Everybody's been really nice and cooperative and helpful. There were some times when it may have been a little rough but, actually, it was fun. It was fun for me."
The Frances Bartlett Kinne University Center is one of six structures to bear her name, including one at Drake University and an auditorium at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.
Her impact at Jacksonville University continued to be felt long after her retirement from the presidency. As an example of her leadership, during her 10 years as President of Jacksonville University, from 1979 to 1989, new programs were established in the colleges of Fine Arts and Arts and Sciences, and the executive MBA program, the baccalaureate nursing program, and the aviation program were started. Her university presidential colleagues elected her as chair of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida for two years during her tenure as president of JU. In that role, she organized and led the efforts of the state’s independent universities in state and national legislative efforts.