Mary Gladwin was drawn to nursing when, as a young girl, her father told a story of being aided by a nameless nurse on a French battlefield. To say she was inspired by the story would be an understatement.
Gladwin chased her dreams and served as a nurse in the Spanish-American War, the Phillipine insurrection, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. She was among the first Red Cross nurses to work in Europe in WWI, serving as supervisor of nurses at the American Hospital in Belgrade, Serbia.
She also played a key role in the Red Cross flood relief efforts in Dayton in 1913 as a nurse supervisor. She was appointed to the National Committee of the American Red Cross shortly thereafter. Gladwin received formal charter and commission to start the Red Cross in Akron in June 1916. Two weeks later the newly elected men who ran the Akron Chapter formed a Women’s Auxiliary with Gladwin serving as the chair. She also wrote a book, Ethics for Nurses, that became known as the “Nurses Bible” in Akron hospitals.
Gladwin was born in Strole-Upon-Trent, England, on Dec. 24, 1861, and moved to Akron in 1868 with her parents. She graduated from Buchtel College (now The University of Akron) in 1887 and later earned a nursing degree from the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing.
She died Nov. 22, 1939 in Akron. Her greatest posthumous honor came 40 years later when The University of Akron dedicated Mary Gladwin Hall on Sept. 21, 1979.
Photo courtesy of the Mary Gladwin Collection, The University of Akron Archives.
. –Zachary Jackson