Ninetta May Runnals
academic · academic administrator
- January 14, 1885 · Dover-Foxcroft
- June 1, 1980 · Waterville
- 95 years
About Ninetta May Runnals
Ninetta May Runnals, 95, American academic administrator.
Explore other notable deaths in 1980 or deaths in June 1980.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Ninetta May Runnals?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Ninetta May "Nettie" Runnals (January 14, 1885 – June 1, 1980) was an American academic and college administrator. She served as Dean of Women at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, her alma mater, for 27 years, advocating for gender equality for women students and faculty members. She also helped raise significant funding for a Women's Union on the Mayflower Hill campus, which was renamed Runnals Union in her honor in 1959. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 1992.
Early life and education
Ninetta May Runnals was born on January 14, 1885, in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, to William Frank Runnals and his wife, Ida Jane Bowker Runnals. Her father was a machinist in a nearby mill. She earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics at Colby College in 1908.
Career
Runnals was a math and languages instructor at Foxcroft Academy from 1908 to 1911. In 1911 she moved to the Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, serving as Dean of Girls and mathematics instructor until 1916. She also taught at Miss Sayward's School of Girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During this time, Colby College president Arthur J. Roberts contacted Runnals to interview for the newly created position of Dean of Women, writing, "I am writing to inquire if you would be at all interested in the deanship of women here for the coming year and the rest of your life". Runnals did not accept the offer at first, choosing instead to complete her M.A. degree at Columbia University in 1920. Afterward she told Roberts that she would accept his offer only if it included a full faculty membership and more latitude than the original job description allowed. Her demands were accepted and she became Dean of Women in 1920, as well as assistant professor of mathematics. In 1923 she gained a full professorship.
Cognizant of "the challenges of being a woman at Colby", Runnals advocated for "equal support of the women's division" from the very beginning. She opposed the division of Colby College into men's and women's campuses, arguing that women would receive the short end of the stick in terms of allocation of resources. Later she campaigned for coeducational classes. Within a year of her arrival, she had revamped the health and physical education program for women, replacing the "part-time, low paid supervisor for gymnastic activities" with a full-time nurse and a fully stocked woman's infirmary. She also organized the college's Women's Health League and lobbied for equal pay at the faculty level.
In 1926 Runnals became Dean of Women and associate professor of education at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. In 1928 she returned to Colby as Dean of Women and professor of mathematics and education. In the 1930s she led efforts to raise $100,000 from a total of 1,200 alumni for the establishment of a Women's Union on the new Mayflower Hill campus. In 1942 she oversaw the plans for women's dormitories at the Mayflower Hill campus, consulting with staff at other colleges and "comparing measurements of everything, down to closets as needed to accommodate 'modern party dresses'".
Runnals retired on September 1, 1949. Afterward she sat on the college's board of trustees for six years. She continued to be active with campus affairs, particularly those concerning gender equality, until her death.
Other activities
Runnals established the Waterville branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In 1973 the AAUW bestowed on her a citation for "developing quality education for women".
Awards and honors
In 1929 Colby College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. In 1959 the college renamed the Women's Union building as Runnals Union in her honor. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 1992.
Personal life
Runnals was a member of the United Baptist Church in Old Town, Maine. She died on June 1, 1980, following a lengthy illness, and was buried in her family's plot in the Gray Cemetery in Dover-Foxcroft.
Runnals was interviewed for her recollections of growing up in the late 19th century, her student years at Colby College, and the types of employment available to women in the early 20th century, by the Women in Maine Project of the Maine Folklife Center on October 23, 1974; the tape and transcript of this interview are housed at the Maine Folklife Center.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Ninetta May Runnals on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninetta_May_Runnals
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ninetta May Runnals's archived record and the sources above.
1.What is the name of the campus building renamed in honor of Ninetta May Runnals in 1959?
- A.Runnals Unioncorrect
- B.Colby Women's Center
- C.Ninetta Hall
- D.Mayflower Union
In 1959 the college renamed the Women's Union building as Runnals Union in her honor.
Source: Awards and honors section
2.In what year was Ninetta May Runnals inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame?
- A.1992correct
- B.1973
- C.1980
- D.1959
Ninetta May Runnals was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 1992.
Source: Awards and honors section
3.Where is Ninetta May Runnals buried?
- A.Old Town Churchyard
- B.The Colby College campus
- C.Gray Cemetery in Dover-Foxcroftcorrect
- D.Waterville Cemetery
Ninetta May Runnals was buried in her family's plot in the Gray Cemetery in Dover-Foxcroft.
Source: Personal life section
4.Who conducted the 1974 interview with Ninetta May Runnals regarding her life and experiences?
- A.Women in Maine Project of the Maine Folklife Centercorrect
- B.The American Association of University Women
- C.The Maine Women's Hall of Fame
- D.Colby College Alumni Association
Ninetta May Runnals was interviewed by the Women in Maine Project of the Maine Folklife Center on October 23, 1974.
Source: Personal life section
5.What honorary degree did Colby College award Ninetta May Runnals in 1929?
- A.Doctor of Education
- B.Doctor of Humane Letters
- C.Doctor of Mathematics
- D.Doctor of Letterscorrect
Colby College awarded Ninetta May Runnals an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1929.
Source: Awards and honors section
6.On what date was Ninetta May Runnals born?
- A.January 14, 1885correct
- B.January 14, 1890
- C.June 1, 1980
- D.October 23, 1974
Ninetta May Runnals was born on January 14, 1885.
Source: Early life and education section
7.What was the profession of Ninetta May Runnals' father?
- A.Machinistcorrect
- B.Academic administrator
- C.College president
- D.Professor of mathematics
The father of Ninetta May Runnals, William Frank Runnals, was a machinist in a nearby mill.
Source: Early life and education section
8.Where did Ninetta May Runnals earn her bachelor's degree in 1908?
- A.Columbia University
- B.Foxcroft Academy
- C.Colby Collegecorrect
- D.Hillsdale College
Ninetta May Runnals earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics at Colby College in 1908.
Source: Early life and education section
9.At which institution did Ninetta May Runnals first work as a Dean of Girls starting in 1911?
- A.Colby College
- B.Miss Sayward's School of Girls
- C.Maine Central Institutecorrect
- D.Foxcroft Academy
In 1911 Ninetta May Runnals moved to the Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, where she served as Dean of Girls.
Source: Career section
10.Ninetta May Runnals earned her M.A. degree from which university in 1920?
- A.Columbia Universitycorrect
- B.Colby College
- C.Hillsdale College
- D.University of Maine
Ninetta May Runnals completed her M.A. degree at Columbia University in 1920.
Source: Career section
11.In what year did Ninetta May Runnals become a full professor of mathematics at Colby College?
- A.1920
- B.1949
- C.1923correct
- D.1928
Ninetta May Runnals became Dean of Women in 1920 and gained a full professorship in 1923.
Source: Career section
12.What specific health-related improvement did Ninetta May Runnals implement for women at Colby College?
- A.Replacing a part-time supervisor with a full-time nursecorrect
- B.Establishing a counseling center
- C.Mandating medical insurance for all faculty
- D.Building a new gymnasium for students
Ninetta May Runnals replaced the part-time supervisor for gymnastic activities with a full-time nurse and a fully stocked woman's infirmary.
Source: Career section
13.Ninetta May Runnals served as Dean of Women and associate professor of education at which college between 1926 and 1928?
- A.Colby College
- B.Foxcroft Academy
- C.Maine Central Institute
- D.Hillsdale Collegecorrect
In 1926 Ninetta May Runnals became Dean of Women and associate professor of education at Hillsdale College.
Source: Career section
14.How much money did Ninetta May Runnals lead efforts to raise for the Women's Union on the Mayflower Hill campus?
- A.$50,000
- B.$1,200
- C.$200,000
- D.$100,000correct
In the 1930s Ninetta May Runnals led efforts to raise $100,000 for the establishment of a Women's Union.
Source: Career section
15.What unusual design consideration did Ninetta May Runnals oversee while planning women's dormitories in 1942?
- A.Adding private entrances for faculty members
- B.Installing specialized ventilation for chemistry labs
- C.Measuring closets to accommodate modern party dressescorrect
- D.Designing lecture halls for coeducational classes
Ninetta May Runnals oversaw dormitory plans, comparing measurements of everything down to closets to accommodate modern party dresses.
Source: Career section
16.When did Ninetta May Runnals officially retire from her position at Colby College?
- A.October 23, 1974
- B.June 1, 1980
- C.September 1, 1949correct
- D.January 1, 1959
Ninetta May Runnals retired on September 1, 1949.
Source: Career section
Explore the archive
People who died on June 1
Related People
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Ninetta May Runnals →Advertisement
