Dorothy A. Dodds

Dorothy Ann Dodds, age 89, of Moorhead, MN, passed away on Saturday, December 15, 2012, in Sanford Health, Palliative Care Unit, Fargo, ND. Dorothy Ann Dodds was born on August 11, 1923 to Warren and Alma Simonsen Dodds in Lisbon, ND. The family moved to Moorhead in 1940 and she graduated from Moorhead High School in 1941. She attended Moorhead State Teachers College during World War II, graduating with an elementary education degree in 1945. She earned her master’s degree in education from Colorado State University in 1948. Dorothy taught kindergarten at the Moorhead State Campus School from 1949 until the school closed in 1972. She taught in the Minnesota State University Moorhead Education Department until her retirement in 1986. She developed the first recognized early childhood education curriculum in Minnesota. In education and political circles she was a strong and vocal advocate for children, arguing effectively that children had a fundamental right to a safe, healthy and stimulating home and school environment. Dorothy also was an early promoter of legal standards for caregivers and licensing requirements for daycare facilities. Dorothy was a founding member of Moorhead Healthy Community Initiative, an organization that provides after-school activities and builds assets in youth. She was president of the Moorhead and Lake Agassiz Regional Library Boards, president of the Clay County Historical Society and active with the American Association of University Women, First Presbyterian Church and the DFL party. While teaching, Dorothy was involved in professional organizations, including American Association of University Professors, National Association for Education of Young Children, National Education Association, Minnesota Education Association and Minnesota Early childhood Teacher Educators. In 1998, Dorothy received the Asset Builder Award from Moorhead Healthy Community Initiative. She was recognized by MSUM with the Distinguished Alumni Award for professional achievement in 1999. MSUM also has established the endowed Dorothy Dodds Early Education Scholarship that is awarded each year to students majoring in elementary education. In the fall of 2011, the MSUM Education Department exhibited a display in her honor to recognize her lifetime contributions to the department. Recognizing her lifetime achievements on behalf of children, Dorothy was inducted into the Moorhead High School Hall of Honor in 2011. A lifelong educator, Dorothy continued to live in Moorhead through the remainder of her life and felt fortunate to be able to do what she really wanted to do in her life. She is survived by her sister, Rosemary Dodds of North Fort Myers, FL as well as several nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Robert and Andrew. Please direct memorial gifts to the MSUM Dorothy Dodds Early Education Scholarship fund.