Edwina B. Vold

Dr. Edwina Battle Vold, daughter of the late Edward and Vina (Barnes) Battle, peacefully departed this life at home in the early morning hours of January 5, 2025, surrounded by family.

She was born in Kinston, North Carolina on August 28, 1935, where her parents planted the seeds of faith, family, community and education. These pillars would guide Edwina throughout her life.

Edwina attended a segregated Adkin High School and graduated in 1953. She participated in her first civil rights protest during her junior year; a peaceful walk out of the entire student population to bring attention to their overlooked and underfunded school. She then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in education from Virginia State College. She began her teaching career at Lakeview Elementary in Portsmouth, Virginia, teaching 1st grade. She joined Zion Baptist Church there and led the children’s choir, which later went on to record an album of gospel songs under her direction.

Edwina earned her master’s degree from Boston College and began teaching at Norfolk State University. She was involved in the Urban Teacher Corps Program, which provided professional development to Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country.  As a result of her exemplary work, she was offered a scholarship to obtain her doctorate. Edwina earned a PhD degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she would meet her future husband, Dr. Larry A. Vold. They were married on August 21, 1976 and settled in Norfolk, Virginia. Edwina continued teaching at Norfolk State while Larry taught at Hampton University.

Three years later, Larry was offered a position at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, IUP, and Edwina subsequently secured a position as well. And as we say, the rest is history. While at IUP, Edwina was a professor of Early Childhood Education for 19 years and Chair of the Department of Professional Studies in Education for 13 years. A major theme of Edwina’s leadership was to diversify the teaching body to include more minorities and to help the predominantly white rural students in the program have a better understanding of the multicultural nature of students in inner-city schools.  Relying on her core beliefs, she worked with Pittsburgh Public Schools writing grants and receiving funding to enable teacher aides and teacher assistants to get their Teaching Certificates. She expanded student teaching opportunities to inner-city centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and promoted student teaching experiences at multicultural inner-city schools in Europe.

During her long educational career, she was an avid collaborator, consultant, reviewer of Teacher Professional Organization presentations and a writer/researcher with over 30 published books and chapters on the important issues of multiculturalism and the politics of justice and equality in America.

Among her many awards and achievements, she was particularly proud of receiving the Indiana County Athena Award for Leadership in 2007.

Community Service was as much a part of Edwina’s life as her professional career having served as President of the Indiana County NAACP for over 10 years, President of the American Association of University Women, Executive Board Member of both Big Brothers Big Sisters and the League of Women Voters, Board member of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and on the Indiana Arts Council.  Edwina was also a member of the Federation of Democratic Women, the Indiana County Cancer Coalition and Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, a Service Sorority and advised the IUP chapter for many years.

Edwina was an active member of Cavalry Presbyterian Church and became a deacon in 2010. She was a strong, devout and faithful Christian who practiced her faith in everyday life, not just on Sundays.

As a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, colleague and friend, she was loving, thoughtful and deeply caring to so many lucky individuals. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.

She is survived by her loving husband of 48 years, Larry Vold, a daughter, Rebecca (Mike) Loney, Granite Falls, Washington, a son, Michael Vold, Fort Wayne, Indiana, a daughter, Jennifer (Thomas) Yoquelet, Monroeville, Indiana, a brother in law, Rev. Colonel Sutton, Kinston, North Carolina, a nephew, Stephen (Joyce) Sutton, Greensboro, North Carolina, a niece, Terri Sutton, Manassas, Virginia, a niece in law, Robin Sutton, Walkertown, North Carolina, six grandchildren, three great grandchildren, two great nephews, a great niece, numerous graduate students who became family and so many more adopted students who she has loved and mentored throughout the years.

Edwina was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Vina Battle, a sister, Doris Sutton and a nephew, Michael Sutton.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Preferred memorials should go to the Edwina Battle Vold Scholarship Fund through the Foundation for IUP, Sutton Hall Suite 419, 1011 South Drive, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705-1046, 724-357-3184 or  donate here.  We thank you in advance for your generous contributions to honor such an incredible woman.

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