Elizabeth Steel Genne

Background

Elizabeth Steel Genne was born on August 30, 1911, in Albany, Oregon, United States. She was a daughter of Charles John and Winifred Steel.

Education

Elizabeth Genne studied at Oregon State University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1935. She also attended Columbia University and received a Master of Arts degree in 1936.

Career

Elizabeth Genne began a career as an adjunct professor at Flint Community College (today Mott Community College) in 1953. She held this post until 1957. Then she took the same post at Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 1970 she started to work as an adjunct professor of psychology at Montclair State University. She also was a visiting professor of religion at Drew University.

Beginning in the 1950s Elizabeth Genne and her husband, William H. Genne pioneered in the field of family life and sex education, working for the Clara Elizabeth Fund for Maternal Health in Flint, Michigan, and then the National Council of Churches from a home base in Montclair, New Jersey. They co-authored books and numerous articles devoted to maternal health education and sex education. The first book was published in 1962.

Achievements

• Elizabeth Genne was an American writer and educator, famous for her books Christians And The Crisis In Sex Morality: The Church Looks At The Facts About Sex And Marriage Today and First Of All, Persons: A New Look At Men/Women/Relationships.
  
  Elizabeth Genne was an active member of the Young Women’s Christian Association. She helped the YWCA to make more effective use of its human and financial resources. In 1975 she received Educational Foundation on Human Sexuality annual award.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Christians And The Crisis In Sex Morality: The Church Looks At The Facts About Sex And Marriage Today 1962
  • Church family camps and conferences: An administrative and program manual 1962
  • First of all, persons: A new look at men/women/relationships 1973

Membership

Elizabeth Genne was elected to the National Board of Young Women’s Christian Association of the United States of America in 1957. She was a member of that group until 1979, including a term as National President from 1973 to 1979. Elizabeth Genne was active in the PTA, Montclair Civil Rights Commission, American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, United Council of Church Women, and UNICEF.

Connections

Elizabeth Steel Genne married William H. Genne on March 28, 1937. They had four children. William H. Genne died in 1997. Three years later Betty married Stanley Conover, who died in 2006.

Father:

Charles Steel

Mother:

Winifred Steel

late-husband:

William H. Genne

Daughter:

Nancy Genne

Son:

Thomas Genne

Daughter:

Margaret Genne

Daughter:

Susan Genne

late-husband:

Stanley Conover