Inventory of the Mary E. Gladwin Papers, 1898-1939

Biography of Mary E. Gladwin, 1861-1939

Mary E. Gladwin was born on December 24, 1861 in Stoke-upon-Trent, England. At the age of seven she arrived in the United States and settled in Akron, Ohio. Gladwin went on to graduate from Buchtel College in 1887 with her Bachelor of Philosophy degree and immediately began teaching physics and chemistry in Norwalk, Ohio until 1893. After teaching, Gladwin went to Boston and received her nurse's training from Boston City Hospital in 1894 and 1895. Three years later, Gladwin went to Cuba as a Red Cross volunteer during the Spanish-American War. Within the next year she also completed field hospital work in Chickamauga, Georgia and provided service in the Phillipines. In 1899 she was awarded the Spanish-American War Medal for her service. After two years of field experience, Gladwin was readmitted to nurse's training in Boston and graduated in 1902 from the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing. In 1904, she provided service in Hiroshima, Japan, during the Russo-Japanese War and was honored with several awards: The Japanese Life Membership in the Imperial Red Cross, Japanese Imperial Order, Japanese Imperial Red Cross Medal for special service, and Japanese Medal for General Service. In 1904 Gladwin returned to the United States and took the position of Superintendent of Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts. After serving for three years as superintendent, Gladwin moved to New York City and took the position of superintendent at Woman's Hospital. She continued with the Woman's Hospital until the Dayton (Ohio) flood of 1913. During this time of crisis, she directed the Red Cross nursing services and stayed in Ohio after the flood subsided. In 1913 Gladwin moved to northern Ohio and became the Head of Women's Employment and Welfare Department of the B.F. Goodrich Tire and Rubber Company. She also organized and directed the George T. Perkins Visiting Nurse Association in Akron which would become the Department of Public Health Nursing of Akron. Gladwin moved to Cleveland in 1913 and became the superintendent of nurses at City Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. She eventually held the position of President of the Ohio State Nurses Association and eventually reached the position of director for the American Nurses Association. During World War I, Gladwin served with the Red Cross in Belgrade, Serbia from 1914-1915 where she helped care for 9,000 soldiers in a hospital built for 1,000 patients. After her return to Akron in 1916, she became an incorporator and a member of the first Board of Directors of the Summit County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Gladwin did not stay in the Unites States long and was soon overseas. Between 1916 and 1919 she was involved in the Red Cross Service in Serbia and Greece (Salonica) where she was in charge of Serbian relief and hospital work. She was awarded the Serbian Order of St. Sava, Serbian Royal Red Cross, Cross of Charity, Russian Imperial Medal and Ribbon of St. Anne for her service during World War I. In 1920, Gladwin was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal for her nursing service and was also awarded an honorary degree, the L.L.D., from The University of Akron. Later, Gladwin decided to become involved with nursing education. Between 1923 and 1928 she served as the Director of Nursing Education at St. Mary's Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A year later she became the Director of the School of Nursing at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. Mary Gladwin died November 22, 1939 in Akron, Ohio.

Scope and Content

The Mary E. Gladwin Papers (1898-1939) consist primarily of material relating to her activities as a Red Cross nurse, including her involvement in the Spanish-American War and the Phillipine Insurrection (1898-1899), the Russo-Japanese War (1904), Ohio flood relief at Dayton (1913), and World War I service in Serbia (1914-1916).This collection would be of value for the study of attitudes and reflections of a woman nurse and the nature of wartime medical care in the early twentieth century. The collection contains Gladwin's memoirs, a diary, photographs, and miscellaneous material. The memoirs entitled The Red Crosser relates to her experience as a Red Cross nurse during the three wars and a relief mission during the Dayton Flood. They primarily describe hospital procedures and the daily routines of nursing. Gladwin's accounts concern social and cultural matters rather than details of the military or political aspects of her service. Her observations do not analyze the political atmosphere in which she worked, although they do included her perceptions of the social and cultural climate of Cuba, the Philippines, Japan, Dayton and Serbia during periods of crises. Gladwin's diary describes her voyage to Serbia and her involvement in hospital service during the bombardment of Belgrade in 1914-1915. The photograph albums contain pictures of the Philippines, Japan and Serbia. In addition, they offer personal glimpses of her family and friends. These albums include photographs of individuals serving with her, illustrations of urban and rural scenes, and cultural items of interest. There are some excellent photographs of military personnel and maneuvers during the Spanish-American War and of Filipino, Japanese and Serbian people. Memorabilia includes a photograph of Gladwin in cap and gown for the presentation of her doctorate from The University of Akron in 1920, and Miniature Florence Nightingale Medal, 1920. Obituaries and accounts of her life are included in the biographical information folder.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Persons:

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Mary E. Gladwin Papers, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Judith Gathergood, 1973; Updated 2009

Detailed Description of The Collection