Mary Schenck Woolman
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Mary Raphael Schenck Woolman (April 26, 1860August 1, 1940) was an American educator known for her advocacy of
vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people for a skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self employed with req ...
and
consumer education Consumer education is the preparation of an individual to be capable of making informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products in a consumer culture. It generally covers various consumer goods and services, prices, what the consumer can ...
, particularly for women. She was one of the first woman faculty members at
Teachers College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...
in New York City. She was the founder of Manhattan Trade School for Girls, the first vocational school for women in the United States. She was the author of several books and lectured around the country.


Early life

Mary Raphael Schenck was born in
Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...
, on April 26, 1860. She was the daughter of John Vorhees Schenck and Martha (McKeen) Schenck. Her father was a prominent physician who was once president of the Medical Society of New Jersey. Her grandfather, Ferdinand Schureman Schenck, was also a physician and represented New Jersey in Congress. She was educated at the Quaker Mary Anna Longstreth School in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. She attended the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
from 1883 to 1884, before the school granted degrees to women. She married Franklin Conrad Woolman on October 18, 1883. He was an attorney who served one term in the
New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...
in 1890. Her husband was also a member of a prominent family in New Jersey and in Philadelphia, tracing their lineage back to the Quaker preacher John Woolman. Franklin D'Olier was their nephew.


Move to New York

Woolman's father died in 1882 at age 58 from
typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...
. This event, followed by serious illnesses for her mother and husband, forced Woolman to become both household manager and family health care provider. Having to learn additional skills such as cooking, care for invalids and budgeting impressed upon her the inadequacies of the training in practical matters provided to women at the time. To avoid bankruptcy, she was forced to sell their house in Camden and move the family to New York City in 1891. There she was employed as a copy editor, and the family stayed in a boarding house on Washington Square. Several faculty members of the
Teachers College Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...
also lived in the boarding house, and one of them brought her a book on the teaching of sewing to review. She had harsh criticism of the book, which impressed the professor and the president of the Teachers College. They asked her to write up her own ideas on the subject. The manual she wrote de-emphasized then-current methods of teaching, involving fancy stitch work and repetition. Instead, she focused on the planning and making of practical garments. Her manual was well received.


Career

The success of her sewing text led to Woolman being hired as an assistant in domestic science at the college in 1892, one of only two women on staff up to the time. The following year, even though she had no degree, she became an instructor of sewing. While teaching she also took classes and earned a diploma in 1895 and a B.S. in 1897. She was made an adjunct professor in 1898 and a full professor in 1903. She organized the Department of Domestic Arts at the college and initiated the scientific study of textiles there. She became known as an expert in the area. A group of prominent New York City residents asked her for help in addressing the problems of working women. She developed a plan for a school to train women in practical skills for the textile and clothing industries. This was implemented as the Manhattan Trade School for Girls, which she opened in November 1902. She ran the school until 1910 while continuing to teach at the Teachers College. In 1912, Woolman became acting head of the home economics department at Simmons College in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, a position she held until 1914. She also was elected president of the
Women's Educational and Industrial Union The Women's Educational and Industrial Union (1877–2006) in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded by physician Harriet Clisby for the advancement of women and to help women and children in the industrial city. By 1893, chapters of the WEIU were esta ...
. As an expert in vocational education, she was a vocal proponent of the
Smith–Hughes Act The Smith–Hughes National Vocational Education Act of 1917 was an act of the United States Congress that promoted vocational education in "agriculture, trades and industry, and homemaking," and provided federal funds for this purpose. As such, ...
, which provided Federal funding for it. She lobbied for its passage. In subsequent years, Woolman lectured at various colleges around the country, including
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, Oregon Agricultural College,
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
, Colorado Agricultural College,
University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
and State College of California, Santa Barbara. In 1921 and 1926, Woolman pursued a graduate degree in economics at
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...
under Thomas Nixon Carver, which led to the publication of her final book in 1935, which Carver co-wrote with her and a third author. The book viewed textiles from multiple perspectives.


Awards

She was decorated by
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
for her service during World War I organizing a Clothing Information Bureau for the
Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
. In 1926, the National Institute of Social Sciences awarded her its gold medal for "services to humanity and the promotion and conducting of industrial and vocational education." Also in 1926, she was elected to Pi Gamma Mu. In 1939 she was made a life member of the American Home Economics Association in recognition of her service to the field.


Personal life and death

Woolman's husband died in 1906 after a long illness. Woolman continued working into her seventies until an automobile accident, which caused permanent impairments. Woolman died a few years later on August 1, 1940, in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, aged 80, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in her birthplace of Camden, New Jersey.


Selected works


Books

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Journal articles

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolman, Mary Schenck 1860 births 1940 deaths Writers from Camden, New Jersey People from Newton, Massachusetts Simmons University faculty Radcliffe College alumni Teachers College, Columbia University alumni Teachers College, Columbia University faculty Home economists Educators from New Jersey Educators from Massachusetts 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators 19th-century American women educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American women academics 20th-century American academics