[3] Florence Matilda Read was born on November 12, 1886, in the village of Delevan in Cattaraugus County, New York.

[1] In 1911, Read moved to Portland, Oregon where she was secretary to the president of Reed College, a post she held until 1920.

During World War I, Read worked at the Council of National Defense in Washington, D.C., and later with the YMCA in France.

[1] From 1920 to 1927, Read served as executive secretary of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation.

During her time as president, enrollment almost doubled and the college's reputation in the liberal arts was enhanced.