Agnes Medill, who never married, lived all 98 years of her life in Delaware, where she appears to have been devoted to the young men and women she met through the Boys and Girls Clubs, many of which she helped to organize. (During the 1918 school year alone, Medill organized at least fifteen clubs throughout Delaware schools, in such towns as Newport, Bridgeville, Stanton, Black Swamp, Redden, Georgetown, Greenwood, Townsend, Welsh Tract, Harrington, Newark, and Wilmington.) Her scrapbook is filled with photographs captioned in her own hand, and a robust assortment of news clippings reveals what appears to have been a sustained interest in reform, efficiency, and modernization. (She was also partial to domestic science.) Agnes was also active in some of the first 4H Clubs in the State of Delaware, and was an early advocate for sustainable farming practices: working with the United States Department of Agriculture, she lobbied on the importance of food conservation for the War effort.

08.04.09     Comments (2)     digg | del.ic.io.us | reddit