Mabel Day Parker

Letters
February 3, 1921
January 1, 1928
September 25, 1934

Handwritten Excerpt (37 KB)

Biological Club Picnic at Lutherville, MD, May 7, 1903. Mabel B. Day in front, white dress

Mabel Day's Room in 1899 (51 KB)
Mabel Day's Room at Vingolf 29, 1902-1903 (55 KB)
Mabel Day's Room at Vingolf 29, 1902-1903 (64 KB)
Mabel Day's Room at Vingolf 29, 1902-1903 (58 KB)

1904 Program:

Present address: 23 Olyphant Place, Morrisstown, NJ.

The engagement of Mabel Day to Mr. John Parker of Morristown, N.J., has been announced.

June 1905 Kalends:

Mabel Day was married in June to John Parker, of Morristown, N.J.

June 1906 Kalends:

There was born in March to Mabel Day Parker a son.

November 1907 Kalends:

IN MEMORIAM: Died, on August 21, 1907, Edwin Day Parker, aged sixteen months, son of Mabel Day Parker, and class baby of the Class of 1903.

July 1929 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker's oldest daughter will graduate from Mt. Holyoke in 1930 and her second daughter, Jessie, graduated from high school in June. Her third daughter is in the seventh grade of Grammar School. Mrs. Parker is Regent of her local D.A.R. Chapter in Morristown, NJ.

July 1930 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker's oldest daughter graduated in June from Mt. Holyoke. Her second daughter is a Freshman at Beaver COllege, and her youngest daughter is in Junior High School.

July 1931 Alumnae Quarterly:

"I am Regent of the Morristown CHapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which takes all the time I have to give to interests outside of my home. My odlest daughter, Ruth, graduated from Mt. Holyoke College in 1930, and has been secretary of the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, for nearly a year. My second daughter, Jessie, is a Junior at Beaver College, Jenkinstown, Pa., and my youngest, Sarah, is a Sophomore in High School.

November 1935 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker, recuperating from a nervous breakdown, is "taking things easily." She reports that her eldest daughter, Ruth, who spent a year and a half in Denmark and Sweden, is teaching weaving in Asheville Normal School this winter.

November 1937 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker's youngest daughter, Sallie, has transferred from Iowa State College to Goucher, where she has entered the junior class and is majoring in physioloy. Her oldest sister, Ruth, has returned to Asheville Teachers' College, where she is the teacher of weaving.

July 1939 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker, as always, was with us. Her daughter Sally graduated this year, and Jessie came too. We had great fun with Mabel, Jessie, and Sally. In August the three sail for England to travel for several weeks, and to leave Sally at Bedford College, London, for a year's study in biology. Jessie has a day nursery at home.

November 1939 Alumnae Quarterly:

Because of the war, Mabel Day Parker had to cancel her proposed trip to England in late August. She had planned to see her daughter, Sallie <'39) safely settled in Londong where the latter expected to take work at Bedford College. She writes, "Sallie was especially disappointed because it meant the upset of her winter plans. After we got ourselves oriented again, everyone said tha tmy other daughter, Jessie, and I should go away somewhere, so we went to Bermuda September 5 on the Monarch of Bermuda. Then on the 13th, the Monarch was taken off the run. That meant we had to come home immediately on a darkened ship - noport holes open- and no one allowed on deck after 6:30. So we decided we'd have our vacation, and fly home, which we did, on the 19th on the American Clipper."

November 1940 Alumnae Quarterly:

We were sorry to hear of the death of Mabel's mother this summer. We send her our sympathy. Mabel ahs been sick, but we hope she is recovering.

November 1941 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker sent me an interesting account of her daughter's wedding. Ruth Day Parker was married in her mother's home to Mr. Theodore A. Taferner, of New York City. Her sisters, Jessie, and Sallie (Goucher '39) were her attendants.

February 1942 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker is building a new home near the Country Club. She has been greatly delayed in the building- but things are progressing rapidly now and Mabel is all set to move. Her new address will be: Springbrook Road, Morristown, New Jersey.

July 1942 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker writes of her first grandchild, Phyllis Ann Taferner, born March 29. Mabel has just moved into a new home; so with the new grandaughter and new home, Mabel is more than busy.

August 1944 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker writes that her youngest daughter, Sally VanCleve Parker (GOucher 39) was married at the Methodist Church May 6, 1944 (Sally's Birthday) to H. Sherwood Tiger. They will live at 39 James Street, Morristown, N.Y. near where Sally is secretary of the Morristown Chapter of the American Red Cross. They had a beautiful church wedding, with reception afterwards at Mabel's home.

Winter 1949 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker tells us that Frances Flick -Alice's daughter- spent Thanksgiving with her at Morristown, NJ.

Summer 1949 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel writes for herself that Sallie moved to her own home in April. Mabel and Jessie plan to do a little touring in the Adirondacks and New England this summer.

August 1950 Alumnae Quarterly:

"My sister, daughter and I drove down to Williamsburg in April. Nearly froze when we expected warm wweather. In July I hope to go to Weld, Maine, for two weeks. U usually go to Lake Minnewaska New York. Thank goodness, I keep pretty well. I'd write more if there were anything special to tell."

Winter 1952 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker and Jessie spent a week at Cape Cod and two weeks a[ Lake Minnewaska, N. Y. Jessie teaches kindergarten in the public school and Mabel keeps house.
"I seem to have several hobbies -especially weaving and genealogy. I have a small floor loom on which I make a good many table mats, and use part of the money for which I sell them, for charitable work. I have always been interested in genealogy and worked at it a great deal. Just now I'm making abstracts of old wills up at the Court House for D.A.R."

Fall 1952 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker has had phlebitis this past summer and had to spend considerable time in bed or on a couch. She kindly shares nuggets of news that came her way. - Claire Ackerman Vliet

Winter 1953 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker tells us that our Class Bench and tablet are already in place. I shall hope to sit on that bench in June!

Fall 1953 Alumnae Quarterly:

"I had a wonderful time at our reunion, but didn't have enough time nor opportunity to visit as I should have liked. Alice Flick spent two days with me before she went to her daughter's home on Long Island. My daughter, Jessie and I had our vacation at Lake Minnewaska, in Orange County, New Jersey. We have gone there for several years, where we meet a very congenial group of people.
Since coming home, life has settled down to the regular summer routine, which we shall follow until Jessie goes back to teaching kindergarten. Two of Sallie's children (Sallie Parker Tiger, '39) will be in school this year."

Winter 1956 Alumnae Quarterly:

"I'm sorry I haven't a bit of news for you now. I'm just busy keeping house, knitting for Korea and enjoying my four grand children who live just five miles away. Ruth's only daughter is thirteen now and as big as her mother. They live in New York City."

Summer 1957 Alumnae Quarterly:

"I really have no special news at all. Life goes on smoothly butnot excitedly. I did go South last winter as I have done for two years, for a visit with my brother. I keep pretty well, but am like so many of our age, - stiff in thejoints, especially in my 1903 knees, as Nancy Nulton called them some years ago. I keep house for my daughter, Jessie, who teaches kindergarten, and do various chores for the church. I knit a good deal -weave some - and work both on genealogy and stamps. I don't have time to be bored.
I wish I could see some of my old Goucher friends, but none of them live anywhere near me. Alice Flick and I keep in touch and I always hear from Nancy at Christmas time. Sally and her family live near enough so that we see them very often, for which I am thankful."

Winter 1958 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker says that she is "going along in the same rut -keeping house for my daughter, Jessie, who teaches school, doing some weaving, work on genealogy, and some work for the church and the D.A.R. I am planning to go to Winter Park, Fla. in February to visit my brother who lives there all year round. I live near enough to Sallie, my youngest, to keep in touch with her and her four youngsters by telephone every day, and seem them often. My other grandchild lives in New York and at 15 is bigger than I was in college. She's a junior in high school. I hope to be at the reunion in June if dates do not conflict with a family reunion."

Spring 1959 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker, in a recent fall, broke her heel bone and was going about in a cast when she wrote to me; she is already helping about the house and happy to be inproving. A trip to Williamsburg is planned for late April.

Winter 1960 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker seems to have quite recovered from the fall which injured her heel and back last January, from which she suffered a long time. Apart from a visit to William and Mary last April she has been home most of the time, weaving, making cancer dressings, and doing genealogical work for the D.A.R.

Fall 1960 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker told Nancy that she had been sick nearly all summer. The doctor told her that she was not really ill, that she had just lost her starch. Nancy added, 'I expect, at our age we have all lost some starch."

Winter 1961 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker still complains about her lack of startch, but she drives her car and keeps house.

Summer 1961 Alumnae Quarterly:

I have aplogies to make to my readers and to Mabel Day Parker, about whom I had an interesting newspaper clipping telling of a signal honor that was paid her by the church. My memory is no good for details and it is details that make this news interesting - and I have lost the clipping and my note about it. I'll not fail you next time. I do remember that the clipping referred to Mabel's busy hands that were still making things for various church projects.

Fall 1961 Alumnae Quarterly:

The honor bestowed upon Mabel Day Parker by her church was a life membership in the Women's Society of Christian Service, in recognition of her life-long work in missionary and home welfare projects through the church organizations. It included praise for the work of her ever busy hands, her value as historian and as honorary trustee. And she is still giving of her time and strength.

Fall 1962 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker still drives her car, but doesn't walk much by herself.

Winter 1964 Alumnae Quarterly:

Mabel Day Parker gets about fairly well with a cane, but no complaints from Mabel, who was looking forward to her Christmas cards, which we hope came in by the score.

Spring 1964 Alumnae Quarterly:

...Mabel Day Parker was about to leave for a week in Florida with her daughter, Jessie, to visit a brother and sister there.

Fall 1964 Alumnae Quarterly:

You will be grieved to learn of the death of our long-time class treasurer, Mabel Day Parker. When we read of the death of one of our members now, it perhaps does not shock us so much as it did in earlier years, but there is a more poignant and personal involvement, especially with the death of one who has been so closely bound to us in class affairs as Mabel has been. We share her loss with her family, and as Goucher women, as classmates, and as friends we send them our sincerest sympathy.

IN MEMORIAM

When the Class of 1903 held its sixtieth reunion at Goucher in June of 1963, Mabel Day Parker could not attend because she had been ill. She had missed very few of her class reunions after her graduation and had served as class treasurer since her junior year in college until her death on September 10, 1964. In many ways Mabel had shown her devotion to Goucher College and to the Class of 1903.
Her husband, John, died suddenly from a heart attack when their three daughters were young, and Mabel had assumed the responsibility for the family with the efficiency for which she was known in college. Fortunately in recent years her daughters and their families have lived near her, and her family, her church, and her friends have made her life busy and happy.
Early this summer Mabel had to be in the hospital in Morristown again, but she had been able to return to her home in August.
To her daughters, Ruth who lives in New York City, Jessie who was with her mother, Sallie '39, who lives in Morris Plains, and to her five grandchildren, the Class of 1903 sends its deepest sympathy. -Alice Dunning Flick '03