HOSPITAL
DUKE
Vol. I, No. 11 J I '-' I - \
Mrs. Francis Hunt
ington Swett
]\Irs. Swett was bom Mary Eliza
beth Glen in the year 1895 in Balti
more, ^Maryland, w'here she spent the
greater part of her life until her
marriage. She received all her pri
mary education in the Baltimore city
schools and graduated from Eastern
High School in 1912. She entered
teacher training and taught grade
school for a number of years, keeping
abreast of new developments and new
methods of teaching through advanced
studies at the John Hopkins
University in Homewood. Before
terminating her association with the
public schools at the outbreak of tlie
First World War, she had been Prin
cipal of her school and was recognized
as one of the ablest administrators.
During the war period she was em-
))loyed in Washington, 1). C., in the
purchasing department of one of the
United States Government agencies.
Tt was during this time that she
became ac(juainted with Dr. Swett
who was serving in the Army. Dr.
Swett had been transferred to Balti
more to the Jolins Hopkins ^ledical
School where special investigations
on meningitis were being carried out
by tlie iledical Corjis under the di
rection of Dr. Lewis Hill Weed, newly
appointed Professor of Anatomy in
the Medical School. Dr. Swett and
Miss Glen were married in Maine din--
ing the summer of 1921 at Lake
Pennessewassee where they s])ent their
honeymoon. Following his war stint,
Dr. Swett taught anat(miy in the
Hopkins Medical School. They re
mained in Baltimore till 1925 when
Dr. Swett was appointed Associate
Professor of Anatomy at the Vander
bilt ^Medical School, recently reor
ganized under the dii’ection of Dr.
(i. Canby Robinson.
It was at Vanderbilt that ^Irs.
Swett began to identify herself with
all the activities associated with the
December 1955
r. It: K-ar"
Mrs. Frances Huntington Swett—1895-1955
development of a new school. She
engaged enthusiastically in all
the social functions. She was not
only active outside the medical
school where she ac(juired a large
circle of friends, but was ecinally ac
tive within the school. From a part-
time association with the Depart
ment of Anatomy in the role first of
chartmaker and tabulator of ex
perimental data, she gradually accept
ed more and more duties delegated
b}’ the department head until ulti
mately she assumed management of
all ]iurchasing and finances of the
de])artment. This was more or less
an extension of exi)erience gained
from her govc'rnment work during
the war.
In 1!)I5() when Dr. Swett was ap
pointed l^rofessor and (’hairman of
the Department of Anatomy in the
newly formed Duke School of Medi
cine, his wife, already experienced
at getting a depai'tmcMit underway,
assumed a large share of the burden
of depai'tmental detail and routine.
Her interest in ])eo])le and in medical
stiulents, in particular, which had
always been active now became more
Durham, N. C.
intense. It was her great pleasure to
chat with students, and, with a few
searching qiu'stions, discover their
troubles. Often with her council the
troubles were dissolved before there
was any need to bother the professor.
Her love for medical students and
their problems must certainly have
been a direct inheritance from her
mother. Mrs. Glen, after she was
widowed, had rented rooms to and
boarded medical students fi-om The
Hopkins for many years in her home
at 1022 North Broadway. Anyone
who came under Mrs. Glen’s roof
was mothered like a waif—cared for,
scolded, comforted ami helped in
many a financial difficulty. Eliza
beth (lien early became actpiainted
with medical stiulents and their prob
lems. Indeed, in a sense she became
a reimbodiment of her mother in her
ability to gain the confitlence and
friendshii) of thousands of medical
students who sought her ccnnicil
over the years.
During her active life at Duke
Medical School, Mrs. Swett’s inter
ests were not confined to the medical
students but included numerous
campus and civic affairs. Following
the death of her husband, Mrs.
Swett was ajipointed Secretary to
the Committee on Admissions, and
later as Student Advisor she carried
on her close association with the
students. In addition she was respon
sible for handling the Student Rental
Eiui])ment Plan, Student Govern
ment accounts, and, as one of her
special pleasures, slio administered
the Frances Huntington Swett Me
morial Student Loan Fund. This she
had been instrumental in starting in
a small way before it developed into
a memorial fund honoring her hus
band. Though these activities and
interests would be more than enough
to fill a lifetime, she found time be
sides to do coin\tless little things
for strangers—things of no great im
port—but things for which this school
is kindly remembered.