Edna Yost
Edna Yost (November 16, 1889 – September 10, 1971) was an American writer who focused on science and women. She was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Houtzdale. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College in 1913 and was honored by Phi Beta Kappa and Kappa Kappa Gamma.
After teaching math and English at Johnstown High School from 1913 to 1916, Yost moved to New York City. There she joined the Woman’s Press Club and worked on public health and women’s work during and after World War I. She helped with the War Work Council of the YWCA (1917–1919), served as an editor for Association Monthly, and worked as an editorial assistant for the American Journal of Public Health (1919–1921) and for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1921–1925). She also wrote for the Dictionary of American Biography and published poems, short stories, and books.
Yost spent summers at the MacDowell Colony in 1929 and 1930. In 1944, she teamed up with Lillian Gilbreth to study how to improve life for people with disabilities, especially veterans. They published Normal Lives for the Disabled (1944) and Straight Talk to Disabled Veterans (1945). She also wrote a biography of the Gilbreths and their work on efficiency.
Yost is best known for her biographical books about scientists, nurses, and technologists, aimed at inspiring young people, especially girls. Her notable works include American Women of Science (1943), American Women of Nursing (1947), and Women of Modern Science (1959). She believed there were few role models when she was growing up.
Critics praised her work. Ida Tarbell wrote a positive review in The New York Times of American Women of Science, and Library Journal noted the value of Women of Modern Science for promoting scientific training.
Allegheny College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1945. Edna Yost died in New York City in 1971 at the age of 81.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:23 (CET).