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