Kathryn Adams Doty
1920–2016 · American actress, novelist and psychologist
Kathryn Adams Doty (1920–2016) was an American actress, novelist and psychologist. She is best known for her film career, but later devoted much of her professional life to educational psychology and child guidance.
Born Kathryn Elizabeth Hohn in New Ulm, Minnesota, she was the daughter of a Methodist minister. As a child she moved with her family to Warrenton, Missouri, where her father served as chaplain at an orphans' home. At thirteen she preached in the church when he was ill. She studied at Hamline University in Saint Paul and, after competing in a 1939 radio contest in Hollywood, moved to California under the stage name Kathryn Adams. She debuted on screen in Fifth Avenue Girl (1939) and appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942).
Later she earned a master's degree in educational psychology and worked at a child guidance clinic in Hollywood before returning to Minnesota. She also published short stories in magazines, writing as Kathryn Doty. She died in 2016 in Mankato, Minnesota.
Key ideas
- Educational psychology. Her graduate training focused on this field, which studies how people learn and develop in school settings.
- Child guidance. Her clinical work took place at a child guidance clinic, serving children and their families.
- Children's writing. She wrote stories for children's magazines and general-interest publications.
Curiosities
A sermon at thirteen
In a 1939 newspaper interview she recalled taking her father's place in the pulpit at thirteen in a small Missouri town. She described it as quite a radical thing there.
From radio contest to film
She competed in the 1939 national finals of the Gateway to Hollywood radio contest, won a contract and stayed in California to begin her film career.
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.