HELEN DORE BOYLSTON NURSE, WRITER, Sc WOMAN of ADVENTURE
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The Chronicle uarterly Weston Historical Society Summer 2007 Volume 28 No 2 --------------------------~-------------------------- HELEN DORE BOYLSTON NURSE, WRITER, sc WOMAN OF ADVENTURE "The train began to move at last. attended Massachusetts General outpatient department and an Sue leaned forward, her red curls Hospital School of Nursing. She instructor in anesthesiology back at crushed against the windowpane, graduated in 1915, promptly Massachusetts General, and also and looked back to enlisted in the Harvard worked as a psychiatric nurse in where her father and Medical Unit, and served New York City. She was also a head mother and Ted stood as an anesthesiologist with nurse in a Connecticut hospital. In on the station platform. the British Expeditionary the late 1920s she began writing Their faces wpre Force in France During and publishing some of her wartime growing smaller. Sue's World \'\7ar I, achieving memoirs, as well as stories and resolute young mouth the rank of captain. Her magazine articles. quivered suddenly, and first book "Sister; the War her eyes misted." Diary of a Nurse," Drawing on her experiences as a published in 1927, nurse, her portrayal of Sue Barton is These were the words of detailed her wartime extremely realistic and poignant. In Sue Barton Student Nurse, written expenences. discussing the most important thing by Helen Dore Boylston. This was a nurse can do with her fellow the first book in a series of seven After the Armistice of November students, Sue exclaimed: "The chronicling the life of Sue Barton 11, 1918, Miss Boylston patient's from her days as a nurse, published joined the Red Cross attitude." "\Vhen between 1936 and 1953. They and spent several years in people are sick have become classics for young Europe, living and they need adult readers and reveal an amazing working in Albania, something to portrait of the feelings, hopes, Germany, and Italy. steady them - ambitions, sadness, and learnings of During this time she met some - some a young girl. Rose Wilder Lane, idea. It depends daughter of Laura Ingalls on the person. The books were based on the life of Wilder (author of the Maybe it is just Helen Dore Boylston who lived Little House books). being a good right here in Weston for a good Ms. Lane was a reporter sport, or a noble many years. She was born in covering the postwar martyr, or - or Portsmouth, New Hampshire on reconstruction, and the thinking they will Apri14, 1895 and spent a happy two women became fast friends. get well twice as quickly if they put childhood there. She attended their mind to it. You can help Simmons College in Boston and Upon her return to the states, Ms. them think the way they want to. after one year at Simmons she Boylston served as the head of an Nobody likes being frightened, or --------------- M,. M,. M,. Helen Dore Boylston Continued bored, or terribly nervous. They have ever been driving alone in a Sempre Dritto in Italian means (the patient) always try to hang on car during those years. straight ahead, but 200 feet down to something, and if you pay the road turns are left, right none attention and find out what it is Their fond memories of the trip not straight ahead so they had to rely you can encourage them along that only included the sights they saw on their best instincts. They finally line. If they haven't anything to and the people they met along the did make it to Albania. steady them they're miserable, no way, but Troub's memories of matter how good a bath Following Helen's you can give, or how adventures overseas, she many stories you tell sat down to turn her hand them. If they have to writing books. The Sue something to steady Barton books were them, then the other published with the help of things just make being Jane Ayer Cobb (Berry) sick that much easier." who lived at the corner of Ms Boylston's true Cobb's Mill Rd. and Rt. feelings of how things 57. Jane was one of the should be and her Cobb family who at one unwavering belief in time owned Cobb's Mill people's goodness comes Inn. Through this across the pages as if she friendship, Helen were speaking directly to you. Zenobia, the car. She writes Boylston came to Weston often and "Today, almost all day, we climbed purchased a house on Georgetown In 1926 Helen and her friend Rose dreadful mountains, and the Road at the corner of Hillside Wilder Lane, along with their faithful Zenobia, struggled and South. French maid, decided to take a trip perspired and panted and even shed across Europe in a Model T they rusty tears from her radiator." They This move also proved fruitful to named Zenobia. The account of often stopped to let the Helen in that their travels is one of optimism and car rest and give it oil and VI ..r.E she became humor. It is hard to believe that water. friends with two women in that day and age her neighbor would even take on such a trip Rose writes a very funny Eva alone. They went from Paris to passage about asking Le Gallienne Albania and each wrote about the directions in Italy. She and started a experience in a book "Travels With says that it is better than a new series of Zenobia". The book was written in vaudeville show. "Troub: books about a diary-like fashion with notes and Please signore, is this the an aspmng observations from Rose and then way to Spezia. Man: actress named from Traub - Helen's nickname - Spezia? Troub and I: Si Carol Page. short for Trouble. Signore! Spezia! Man: Miss Le Are you Germans? I: No. Gallianne On August 20, 1925, Rose and allowed Helen Man: You are not Helen began their journey from Germans? Traub: No, we [~~~;;;~~;','r , ' '.. ; f. backstage ~~J Paris to Albania in a Model T Ford. are Americans. Is this the access to many Along their many stops people took way to Spezia, please:" After going theatrical stage performances so as them for German women rather on about their nationality for to lend realism to her books. In her than Americans. Near the end of another two minutes, the man first book about Carol Page, Helen their trip they learned that the brightly tells them that this is the writes "Ever since my first book, I reason for this misjudgment was road to Spezia, "Si, Sit Sempre have looked to Jane Cobb for her that only German women would drirto, Spezia. They learned that lively suggestions and her true ear 2 -------------- ea., ea., ea., --------------- Helen Dore Boylston Cont ... EDUCATION OUTREACH 2006 - 2007 for dialogue. In this new story of The Board of Trustees of the children make the batter for old Carol, she has cheerfully assumed Weston Historical Society is so fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies. the role of collaborator and fortunate to have a liaison to the The third group goes to the front godmother, and in gratitude I school system to reach out to the parlor of the home where they are should like to dedicate the story to teachers and administrators finding shown pictures of an old fashioned her." ways in which we can help the farm, a gold nugget, and read a schools teach children about life in story. The groups then move every In a passage from Carol Plays Weston. That person is Judy Albin. 15 minutes or so. At the end of the Summer Stock, Helen writes the Judy has been extremely busy this trip all the children are given a one- following: When he returned, half past school year coordinating year honorary membership in the the company was crowded around programs with different classes and Society. the steps of the Pullman, where grades in all four schools. Carol was waiting for the train to pull out. She made a startling We began last August with a box picture against its dark grime, for lunch on the grounds of the Coley the glow under her skin seemed House for new teachers in Weston. lighted from an inexhaustible They were given a tour of the eagerness within her. Her hair was grounds and the buildings and polished in the sunlight, and the shown our collections and archives. smart green hat accentuated the clear greenness of her eyes. She "Old fashioned" games were taken stood straight and light, one hand in to the first grade classes and on the iron guard rail, and she was shared with the children. For a laughing, though her throat, unit on mapping, we prepared a smooth above the white cascade of simplified map of Weston with During the Post Office trip, the her blouse, felt tight with nostalgia locations of historic buildings. children begin at the old post office for the summer that was gone, with Children placed photos in their where they are told about and affection for the affection in the proper place and then colored them shown some of the items sold in a faces below her, with a surge of in. The children then asked our general store during the 1800's. panic for what the future might volunteers a series of questions They are then given a talk about hold." How easy it is to remember about life in "old" Weston. the post office side of the building the excitement of youth and the and shown letters that were written dreams and hopes of new careers, The second graders study Weston to people in Weston.