Gladys Beach became an assistant to Dean of Women Harriet Greve in 1947. She succeeded Dean Harriet Greve as dean of women upon Greve’s retirement in 1951. Beach retired in 1957. She came to UT from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, where she was dean of women. She had previously been dean of women at Tusculum College, Blackburn College, and Anderson College. She earned degrees from Anderson College and Syracuse University and attended summer sessions at Harvard and Columbia.