Agnes Wilbur, PhG 1892, was the third woman to complete coursework at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy but had the distinction of being the first woman to receive a degree.* Her career in pharmacy started at a young age at father’s drug store in Chelsea, MA, where she enjoyed washing bottles, folding powder papers, helping roll pills, and packing a percolator. During her time at MCP she was a vice president of her class, and she was selected by the MCP Alumni Association as a delegate to the American Pharmaceutical Association meeting in 1892. Shortly after commencement, she passed the state examination and received her license to practice. Agnes was an active member of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy Women’s Club (also known as the Daughters of Pharmacy), which flourished throughout the early 1900's, and even served as its president in 1904.
*Louise Baker was the first woman to complete coursework at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1877; however, she only received a certificate of proficiency, not a diploma, due to a lack of practical experience. She died in 1878 before she had the opportunity to get the experience needed to receive her diploma. Dr. Ida Rebecca Brigham was the second woman to complete coursework and received a certificate of proficiency for the same reason, but she had received her MD and taught at a medical school before coming to MCP and went on to teach at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
For more see:
Ethel June Rose Heath was the first professional librarian at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Born in June 1875 to Angie Diantha (Brackett) Heath and George Heath in Canada, she attended public schools in Malden, MA and then enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at Boston University and graduated with a BA in 1897. She was professionally trained in the Medford Public Library and was a reference librarian in charge of the branch libraries prior to working at MCP.
After being hired in 1913, Ethel proved to be invaluable to the institution. According to the MCP Bulletin, “Under her supervision, the Sheppard Library of the College has become one of the leading pharmaceutical libraries of the world.” She developed the System of Classification for a Pharmaceutical Library after realizing that no satisfactory classification system existed for a pharmaceutical library. She also contributed extensively to the research of the history of MCP, writing class histories and researching alumni.
What Ethel is most known for is her involvement in Lambda Kappa Sigma. In the fall of 1913, Ethel and eight students (Annabel Carter Jones, Mary Connolly Livingston, Emma MacDonnell Cronin, Willette McKeever Cheever, Mary Durgin Loveland, Alice G. Coleman, Rosamond A. Guinn, and Margaret M. Curran) joined together to form an organization to support women pharmacy students which would later become Lambda Kappa Sigma. However, Ethel wasn’t just involved in the founding of Lambda Kappa Sigma; she nurtured it and helped it grow from a small lunch club to a national presence. According to Lambda Kappa Sigma, "It was her counsel that inspired the charter members of Lambda Kappa Sigma to band together for fellowship. It was her courage and confidence that helped the Grand Council in the early years. It was her spirit and resolution that engendered for future generations."
Ethel served as College Librarian until her death in December 1945.
For more information see:
Lambda Kappa Sigma: A Chronological History of Lambda Kappa Sigma Pharmacy Fraternity
The Bulletin, August 1926: A System of Classification for a Pharmaceutical Library
American Druggist: Women in Every Branch of Pharmaceutical Work
Blue & Gold Triangle: Centennial Celebration Convention 2013 Boston
Lambda Kappa Sigma: Celebrating 100 Years of Women in Pharmacy
Pharmacy in History: A History of the Women's Professional Pharmacy Fraternities, 1913-1988
Mary E. O’Sullivan, PhG 1923, MD was a pioneer in the medical field, making important contributions to the study of migraine and neurology.
Mary was dedicated to pursuing her education. She attended Medford High School and the Colby Academy before attending MCP and graduating with her PhG in 1923. During her time at MCP, during her junior year she was a class officer as well as class historian, and during her senior year she was Associate Senior Editor of The Crucible and President of Mu Chi Phi, which had just been founded the year before in 1922. Upon leaving MCP, she matriculated at Tufts College for premedical sciences, but by 1926 she left to enroll at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University College of Medicine). She spent a year there, but then left to go to Radcliffe. At the time, women were not allowed admittance to Harvard Medical School, but she was able to study as a special student via enrollment at Radcliffe. At Radcliffe, she studied at Harvard Medical School for one semester. She ultimately enrolled at Boston University Medical College in 1928 and graduated with her MD three years later.
She worked as a neurologist and headache specialist at Bellevue Hospital, the NYU Clinic, the New York Infirmary and St Vincent's Hospital. At Bellevue Hospital, she became chief of the migraine clinic, and in 1943, in 1943 she was appointed assistant clinical professor in the Department of Neurology, New York University College of Medicine. During her career, she was an early advocate of the use of ergotamine to treat migraine; however, she was also one of the first to report ergotamine overuse headache. She wrote several publications on her research, and her work left a mark on the field. Her dedication to her education and neurology research is even more impressive when you think about the time period. Sadly, her career was cut short due to her death from cancer in 1950.
For more information:
If you are interested in reading Mary’s work:
Rosamond Alice Guinn, PhG 1915, was the first African American woman to graduate from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Born in 1892 to Elmira C. (Brady) Guinn and John C. Guinn in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she graduated from New Bedford High School before enrolling at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
While at MCP, in the fall of 1913 Rosamond joined librarian Ethel J. Heath and students Annabel Carter Jones, Mary Connolly Livingston, Emma MacDonnell Cronin, Willette McKeever Cheever, Mary Durgin Loveland, Alice G. Coleman, and Margaret M. Curran to form an organization to support women pharmacy students. The club would later become Lambda Kappa Sigma, the oldest professional fraternity for women in pharmacy.
After graduation, Rosamond returned home to New Bedford to join her father (also a "druggist") at Guinn and Co. at 396 Kempton Street. She was the first African American woman to become a registered pharmacist in Southeastern Massachusetts, as well as one of the earliest African American women to be granted membership in the American Pharmaceutical Association. Rosamond continued to work as a pharmacist until her death in 1923.
For more see:
Dr. Marion Cowan Burrows Garland, PhG 1898, MD was a pioneer in both medicine and politics! She graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy with her PhG in 1898 and received her MD from Tufts Medical School in 1906. During her time at MCP, she was the secretary of her class in its senior year and was appointed class poet, reading her verses at the Class Day exercises.
In the spring of 1896, while still a student at MCP, she purchased the Stinson Drug Store at the corner of Lewis and Ocean Streets, in Lynn, MA and became the proprietor of Marion Cowan & Co and worked alongside her sister Janet Cowan for about eleven years. In 1898, she became the first woman to read a paper before the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical Association. Her paper was titled, “Kamala and Powdered Elm.” She passed examinations by the State Board of Pharmacy not just in Massachusetts, but also Maine and New York. She was the city chemist and bacteriologist for the city of Lynn from 1900-1906, the physician in charge of Lynn Contagious Hospital from 1906-1907, and was the medical inspector for schools from 1905-1910. In 1915, she petitioned the state legislature to fund the removal of roadside weeds as a public health measure. She helped register thousands of women to vote in 1920 and was also one of the first women to be a presidential elector from Massachusetts that same year. In 1924 she was a delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 1928, she was elected to the Massachusetts legislature, as a Republican representing the 11th Essex district, serving from 1929-1932.
She died in 1952, and in her will, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy was bequeathed one-half of the remainder of her trust estate. The trust ended in 1958, and the College received this unrestricted bequest, which amounted to $209, 481.22 (known as the Dr. Marion Cowan Burrows Garland Fund). Dedication ceremonies for both the Howard C. Newton Building and a new $200,000 addition to the main College building occurred on October 17, 1962. The new wing for the main building was dedicated in Marion’s name in recognition of her bequest.
For more information:
These resources were compiled by Sarah Callanan, Special Projects Librarian, from documents stored in the MCPHS Archives.