Mary Beard: Member of the Nursing Vanguard, 1903 to 1944
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MARY BEARD: MEMBER OF THE NURSING VANGUARD, 1903 TO 1944 by Sandra Dawn Boddice Dissertation Committee: Professor Sandra Lewenson, Sponsor Professor Keville Fredrickson Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education Date: May 22, 2019 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in Teachers College, Columbia University 2019 ABSTRACT MARY BEARD: MEMBER OF THE NURSING VANGUARD, 1903 TO 1944 Sandra Dawn Boddice The purpose of this historical study was to demonstrate that public health nurses in the United States have a significant history of successfully organizing, developing, and leading public health services during times of societal change and transition. This study examined the critical role that public health nursing leader Mary Beard played during her 13-year appointment (1925 to 1938) at the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), primarily through an analysis of her work diaries and correspondence. During Beard’s tenure at the RF, she occupied a unique position within the nursing profession by providing expert opinion on nursing and health care matters to the Directors of the RF. During the course of this study, it became apparent that it would not be possible to analyze all the work Beard conducted at the RF because of the vast number of projects in which she was engaged. Therefore, this study focused on three areas of her work: advisory assistance to a national nursing organization; the development of nursing education at the University of Toronto; and the condition and status of nursing in the southern states, with particular emphasis on African American nurses. A review of Beard’s work demonstrated that her overarching goal was to provide quality public healthcare at the national and international level. Beard was cognizant that nursing was integral to achieving this goal. Arguably, Beard held a privileged place in society she was White, Protestant, middle class, and socially connected, and these attributes allowed her to enter an elite school of nursing in New York City. Beard’s work is not as widely known as other American nurses, such as Lillian Wald. This researcher did not find specific details of Beard’s involvement in other social movements such as the rights of women, workers, immigrants, and African Americans. However, the case could be made that Beard’s life’s work was an example of her commitment to public healthcare at home and abroad and her work and actions demonstrated her commitment to female equality in the workplace. © Copyright Sandra Dawn Boddice 2019 All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation sponsor, Dr. Sandra Lewenson, for her generosity, guidance, and infinite patience. Her mentorship was invaluable and her encouragement to clarify my ideas and add ‘breadth and depth’ to my work will remain my guideposts. I am also indebted to my committee member, Dr. Keville Frederickson, who was unshakable in her belief that I would actually complete this dissertation. Thanks also go to Dr. Elaine LaMonica Rigolosi, the Program Director for the Executive Program for Nurses at Teachers College, Columbia University. I am fortunate to have entered the doctoral program with a cohort of outstanding nurses who became dear friends (‘the Friday besties’). Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I would also like to say a big thank you to Jack Dayal (Vidya’s husband), who assumed the task of chauffeur, wise counselor, and cheerleader to Vidya and me. Last but not least, my eternal gratitude and love goes to my husband, Bill Chong, who deserves an honorary doctorate for having taken this long, arduous journey with me. His practical and moral support and the numerous occasions that I held him hostage so that he could listen to my ideas and read my writing demonstrate that he is a saint and a gentleman. S. D. B. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I – INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 2 The Focus of the Study ........................................................................................ 7 Justification for the Study .................................................................................... 8 Historical Methodology: Biographical Framework ............................................. 9 The Source Materials ........................................................................................... 11 Primary Sources ....................................................................................... 11 Secondary Sources ................................................................................... 12 Organization of the Chapters ............................................................................... 12 Chapter II – TIME AND PLACE .................................................................................... 16 The Progressive Era ............................................................................................. 16 American Industrialization....................................................................... 20 Industrial Power and Labor Strife ............................................................ 22 Women’s Evolving Role in Society ......................................................... 23 The Social Movement .......................................................................................... 27 Settlement Houses .................................................................................... 28 The Evolution of Public Health ............................................................... 30 The Nursing Profession and Public Health .............................................. 31 Summary .............................................................................................................. 34 Chapter III – FAMILY BACKGROUND AND INSPIRATION TO BECOME A NURSE............................................................................................................. 35 Family Background .............................................................................................. 35 Inspiration to Become a Nurse ................................................................. 38 Application to New York Hospital Training School for Nurses .......................... 39 Profile of the New York Hospital Training School for Nurses ............... 41 Nurse Training at New York Hospital ..................................................... 42 Distinguished New York Hospital Training School Graduates ............... 43 The Professionalization of Nursing ..................................................................... 44 The Formation of Alumnae Associations ................................................ 45 Registration .............................................................................................. 46 The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses ........................... 47 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 48 Chapter IV – BECOMING AN EXPERT NURSE ......................................................... 50 Beard’s Early Career ............................................................................................ 50 The Instructive District Nursing Association of Boston ...................................... 52 Expansion and Change at the IDNA ........................................................ 53 Expansion of the Postgraduate Course in Public Health Nursing............ 56 iv Chapter IV (continued) The National Organization for Public Health Nursing ........................................ 60 The Expansion of Public Health Nursing in the United States ................ 60 The Founding of the NOPHN .................................................................. 60 The NOPHN and the American Red Cross Town and Country Nursing Service ................................................................................... 63 The American Red Cross Town and Country Nursing Service ............... 65 Informal Statement from the NOPHN and the Red Cross Town And Country Nursing Service ............................................................. 65 Mary Beard, the NOPHN, and World War I ....................................................... 67 The NOPHN’s Second Application for Rockefeller Foundation Funds ................................................................................................... 69 The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919 ................................................................ 73 The IDNA’s Response to the Influenza Crisis ......................................... 75 The Committee for the Study of Nursing Education ............................... 77 The Establishment of the Community Health Association of Boston ..... 79 Beard’s Appointment to the Rockefeller Foundation .......................................... 80 Summary .............................................................................................................. 84 Chapter V – NEGOTIATING SPACE ............................................................................ 86 The Establishment of the Rockefeller Foundation............................................... 86 The Rockefeller Philanthropic Divisions ................................................. 87 The Rockefeller Foundation and the Nursing Profession .......................