Mary Tucker Thorp

Mary Tucker Thorp
Born Mary Dahood
(1899-09-14)September 14, 1899
Syria
Died October 27, 1974(1974-10-27) (aged 75)
Westerly, Rhode Island
Nationality American
Other names Mary T. Thorp
Occupation educator
Years active 1917–1969
Known for developing accreditation standards for early education in Rhode Island

Mary Tucker Thorp (also known as Mary Dahood) (1899–1974) was a teacher, educator and school principal at the Rhode Island College. She chaired the committee which investigated and made recommendations for accreditation standards for preschool education and which were adopted in the State Board of Education Codes in 1954. She was the first Distinguished Professor of Rhode Island College and both the first residence hall and a Professorship at the school are named in her honor. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1969.

Biography

Mary Dahood[1] was born on 14 September 1899[2][3] in Syria to Hadla Dahood. Her family immigrated to New York in 1904, but soon after, her mother was widowed and placed Mary, her middle child into an orphanage called Rock Nook Home for Children. During her teens, Florence (née Tucker) and Job Thorp, prominent citizens of Westerly, Rhode Island became Dahood's guardians.[1] The Thorps had three other children, Elliott, who would become a Brigadier General and was MacArthur's chief of counter-intelligence during World War II; Walter and a daughter,[4] Elsie.[5] By 1917, Dahood was teaching school in the Tomaquag Valley of Washington County, Rhode Island. Her mother, Hadla, who had been unsuccessful in annulling the Thorp’s guardianship, arrived at the school and tried to take Dahood back to Brooklyn to work at the boardinghouse she operated. Hadla was arrested for attempted kidnapping, but charged with creating a disturbance.[1] After the incident, the Thorps took measures to permanently become Dahood's family. They adopted her around 1920 and she took the name of Mary Tucker Thorp.[6]

Career

In 1926, Thorp accepted a teaching position at Rhode Island College of Education (RIC)[6] and simultaneously worked on her own education, earning her bachelor's degree in education in 1929. She went on to complete a Master of Education from Boston University in 1932, with a thesis entitled Objective Studies Showing Need for Giving Instruction in Use of Geography Tools.[7] Thorp was promoted to president of the Henry Barnard School at RIC in 1936[8] and the following year, in September 1937, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States.[9] Thorp earned her Doctor of Education in 1943 from Boston University[10] and became the first distinguished professor at RIC.[6] In 1947, Thorp headed a committee to establish accreditation standards for nursery schools and institutions teaching very young children. The report took two years to compile, but became the basis for the code adopted by the State Board of Education for Rhode Island in 1954.[11]

She was a prominent speaker on education, child development and health, speaking at women’s groups, nursing colleges,[6] PTA meetings[12] and various civic organizations.[13] In 1961, the first residence hall on RIC campus was dedicated and named in her honor.[14] Thorp retired from the college in 1962 but continued her community services.[6] In 1963, she served as the vice president of the Rhode Island Tuberculosis and Health Association[15] and the following year became president,[16] a post she held through the end of the 1960s.[17] Thorp also served as a representative to the White House Conference on Children and Youth.[18] She received the Roger Williams Medal from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and a commendation from Brown University for her community service involvement.[14] Thorp was also inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1969.[19]

Thorp died on 27 October 1974.[2] She bequeathed a trust to the Rhode Island College for the Mary Tucker Thorp College Professorship, which is an annual award honoring teaching or scholarship excellence.[20]

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pezza 2015, p. 25.
  2. 1 2 "Mary Thorp United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1974. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Rhode Island State Census". Family Search. Westerly, Washington County, Rhode Island: Rhode Island State Archives. 11 May 1925. p. 58. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mrs. Florence Thorp, Native of Sandusky, Dies in Rhode Island". Sandusky, Ohio: Sandusky Register Star News. July 23, 1951. p. 10. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  5. ↑ "1910 United States Census". Family Search. New London, Connecticut: National Archives and Records Administration. 26 April 1910. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Pezza 2015, p. 26.
  7. ↑ Thorp 1932, p. 2.
  8. ↑ "The Henry Barnard School Legacy: 1936". Providence, Rhode: Henry Barnard Laboratory School of Rhode Island College. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Pezza 2015, p. 27.
  10. ↑ Thorp 1943.
  11. ↑ "Nursery School Code Set for R.I.". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 24 July 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Dr. Thorp to Speak". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 16 May 1962. p. 12. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Newport County Council of Community Services". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 10 May 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 Warburton, Elizabeth D. (2007). "A History of Named Places and Architectural Development: Rhode Island College, 1958-2012". Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island College. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "Health Body Plans Campaign Against Respiratory Diseases". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 18 April 1963. p. 18. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Student Smoking Ban at Rogers Working Well, Principal Reports". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 9 January 1964. p. 2. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Campaign Sets Record". Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Daily News. 2 May 1969. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "N.E. Society Meets Here". Newport, Rhode Island: The Newport Daily News. 6 June 1968. p. 11. Retrieved 30 December 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Dr. Mary T. Thorpe ~ Inducted 1969". Riverside, Rhode Island: Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  20. ↑ "About the Mary Tucker Thorp College Professorship". Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island College. October 9, 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2015.

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.