GCAH Home > Archival Finding Aids Home Page> Guide to the Papers of Mary Dumm

Overview

Biographical Note

Scope and Content

Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

Subject Terms

Container List [ + ]

You can print a clean version of this finding aid by selecting FIle -> Print from the menu above or you can download a nicely formatted pdf version from here


Guide to the Papers of Mary Dumm

Prepared by Kristen D. Turner and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivists

United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church

2/14/2002


Overview of Collection

Record Creator: Dumm, Mary
Title: Papers of Mary Dumm
Date Span: 1950 - 1972 Click here to view the finding aid format suitable for requesting material at the Archives.
Abstract: Mary Dumm was a Methodist Episcopal Church medical missionary to India. The material illustrates her career in India.
Extent: 0.66 cubic feet
Identification:



Biographical Note

Mary Dumm (1916- ) was a Methodist Episcopal Church medical missionary to India. She received a B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1938, and an M. A. (1940) and a Ph.D. (1943) from Bryn Mawr College. Dumm was also a Harvard Medical School research fellow in biological chemistry.

From 1942 to 1944 she was an instructor of physiology and biochemistry at Bryn Mawr. In 1944 she became an instructor in the biochemistry department in the College of Medicine at New York University and remained there until 1956. While at N.Y.U. she also worked in the department of medicine with a research group conducting studies on nutrition and metabolic disease. Dumm became an adjunct assistant professor in biochemistry in 1950.

In 1956 she went to India and began work at Christian Medical College in Vellore, North Arcot, where she lectured in biochemistry and nutrition and was active in research.


Scope Note

The Mary Dumm Papers document her work as a missionary. The bulk of this collection is correspondence written by Dumm to her parents, Elizabeth and Walter Dumm of Madison, New Jersey. Dumm wrote to her parents on a weekly basis while she was in India, and this correspondence is from 1959 to 1972. Several letter indices were included with the letters. These were probably prepared by her parents, but are not complete for the entire years. Also included in the correspondence are several postcards from a trip Dumm took to Europe in 1969. Other correspondence included in this collection is addressed to her parents and concerns Mary's work. Some of these letters were written by individuals who had visited or who had contact with Dumm while she was stationed in India. The remaining letters addressed to her parents are from the Vellore Christian Medical College Board, the Women's Division of Christian Service of the Board of Global Ministries, and "Dear Friends" letters from other missionaries in India.

There are numerous news clippings regarding Dumm's work, life, and accounts of talks and presentations on her missionary experience in India. All the clippings have been photocopied from the originals because of deterioration. Programs and newsletters also document some of these presentations. Twenty-five black and white photographs are also included. All have been identified and dated. The second part of this collection documents the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore, India. Items in this section of the papers include publications, articles, miscellaneous materials such as brochures, book announcements, pamphlets, and news clippings.


Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions regarding this collection.


Subject Terms

Subject Names - Corporate
Christian Medical College and Hospital
Subject Topics
Missions.
Women
Subject Geographic
India.
Genre
Articles
Clippings
Correspondence
Newsletters
Photographs.
Programs
Publications
Occupations
Missionary.


Container List

Call Number Folder Title Date(s)
1305-3-5: 1 Correspondence 1959
1305-3-5: 2 Correspondence 1960
1305-3-5: 3 Correspondence 1961
1305-3-5: 4 Correspondence 1962
1305-3-5: 6 Correspondence 1963
1305-3-5: 8 Correspondence 1964
1305-3-5: 10 Correspondence 1965
1305-3-5: 12 Correspondence 1966
1305-3-5: 13 Correspondence 1967
1305-3-5: 14 Correspondence 1968
1305-3-5: 15 Correspondence 1969
1305-3-5: 16 Correspondence 1970
1305-3-5: 17 Correspondence 1971
1305-3-5: 18 Correspondence 1972
1305-3-5: 20 Correspondence 1963-1968
1305-3-5: 21 Correspondence--To Mr./Mrs. Dumm 1959-1971
1305-3-5: 22 Correspondence--To Mr./Mrs. Dumm 1959-1968
1305-3-5: 23 Correspondence--To Mr./Mrs. Dumm 1961-1965
1305-3-5: 24 Correspondence--To Mr./Mrs. Dumm 1961-1970
1305-3-5: 25 Programs 1959-1966
1305-3-5: 26 Newsletters 1961-1966
1305-3-5: 27 Travel itineraries 1958-1969
1305-3-5: 28 News clippings 1950-1970
1305-3-5: 29 Articles 1965-1969
1305-3-5: 32 Publications Undated
1305-3-5: 33 Photographs 1959-1969