Lyda Norris Bailey

Letters
June 1, 1921
Undated, 1928
March 13, 1931
August 2, 1936

Handwritten Excerpt (28 KB)

1904 Program:

Present address: 2500 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Md.

December 1904 Kalends:

Lydia Norris is interested in Kintergarten work in Philadelphia.

January 1905 Kalends:

Lyda Norris has been spending the Christmas vacation with Ruth Haslup in Baltimore.

May 1905 Kalends:

Lydia Norris has been visiting in Baltimore.

January 1906 Kalends:

Lydia Norris has been visiting Ruth Haslup in Baltimore.

May 1907 Kalends:

Lydia Norris, who is interested in kindergarten work in Philadelphia, has been visiting in Baltimore.

January 1915 Kalends:

Lyda Norris has opened an Out-Door Kindergarten and Primary School at Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

February 1915 Kalends:

Anna Lyda Norris of Cynwyd, Pa., visited Baltimore during the Christmas holidays.

February 1916 Kalends:

Lydia Norris, of Cynwyd, Pa., and Anna Haslup, of New York, visited in Baltimore during the Christmas holidays.

October 31, 1918 Goucher College Weekly Lyda Norris is teaching at Miss Spence's School, 30 W. 55th Street, New York City.

July 1930 Alumnae Quarterly:

Lyda Norris Bailey lives in Forest Hills, Long Island. She has retired from her teaching career, and is giving all her time to home commnity life.

May 1932 Alumnae Quarterly:

Lydia Norris Bailey writes that she devotes much of her time to her duties as President of The Women's Club of Forest Hills, Long Island, an organization of 400 women.

February 1933 Alumnae Quarterly:

Lydia Norris Bailey is kept so busy with her duties as president, for the second year, of the Women's Club of Forest Hills, Long Island, that she has no time for much else, she reports.

February 1938 Alumnae Quarterly:

Lyda Norris Bailey, whose home is on Long Island, is active in club work. She has served as first vice-president of the New York City Federation of Women's Clubs, and is at present chairman of the scholarship committee of that organization and is very active in her home club, the Women's Club of Forest Hills, L.I. In 1936 she and her husband took a trip around the world.

Lyda Norris Bailey was slow in answering because she was preparing to go to Florida. She writes: "My sister Virginia ('01) and I were not so well so my husband urged us to come to the land of sunshine and we have been greatly benefited. I find as the years roll on, more and more attention must be paid to the health question. Perhaps that is why we are all living so long!
My life at home in Forest Hills, Long Island, follows the same old pattern of club interests, etc., and in the summer we have a cabana down by the sea where we spend much of our time.
It looks as though Florida will soon be our future home, just as soon as my husband can decide to retire. This certainly is the land for older people. They say you can add ten years on your life if you dwell in Florida in the waning years of life.
I fear I will be unable to attend the reunion, but wish for all my old classmates the best of luck, health, and happiness."

Fall 1954 Alumnae Quarterly:

Lyda Norris Bailey's sister, Virginia (Gucher '01) kindly wrote for Lyda, who was just ending a visit with her in her home, Arlington, Vt. Lyda was resting, after a serious operation on her eyes. She was to return then to her own home in Forest Hills. Our sympathy and very best wishes go out to Lyda.

Winter 1956 Alumnae Quarterly:

It is especially interesting to get news from Lyda Norris Bailey; for, as you remember, the last word we had of her was from her sister, and it was not too good. Lyda says, 'I am very sorry your letter to my sister Virginia was never answered, but in August she had a stroke and I thought I should lose her. However, she did pull through and is now in a nursing home in North Bennington. It has been most difficult, for my eyes are very slow in recovering. I can see to write, but reading what I have written is too great a strain. My vision is very poor but I am hoping the cataracts will soon be removed. The eyes are too tender now. Thanking you for your interest and with best wishes to all."

Summer 1957 Alumnae Quarterly:

On the last day of May I received this message from Jack Bailey of Forest Hills, N.Y.: "My wife, Lyda Norris Bailey, has just returned from three weeks in the hospital. She is slowly improving but most postpone operation for removal of cataracts until fall. Thank you for writing to Lyda." Lyda has been unable to write to us for a long time, but we think of her often and wish her the best results from the operation.

Winter 1961 Alumnae Quarterly:

I was surprised to receive a Christmas card from Lyda Norris Bailey, for I thought she was unable to see well enough to write. She has suffered greatly. This last summer, to give her some relief, the left eye was removed, and she is somewhat better. She sends greetings to 1903.

Summer 1962 Alumnae Quarterly:

Back in April I received a card from Lyda Norris Bailey that pleased me immensely, to see how well written it was, for she does not attempt much. She has a splendid woman who takes her out; with characteristic sweet nature she expresses her cheerful thanks for her blessings.

Spring 1967 Alumnae Quarterly:

Someone in our college days called Lyda Norris Bailey "blythe spirit," and she was that indeed, but she was serious in considering how she could fit into the adult world worthily. After college she studied kindergarten methods in New York and became the first vice-president of the New York Federation of Women's Clubs. European travel and a voyage around the world were recorded in treasured letters, full of alert observations. Her later years were troubled by serious failure of eyesight, until at last only 8 or 10 percent remained. She was loyal to Goucher and to the class to the very end. We wish to express our sympathy for her husband, her helper and comforter through all her twilight years. - Eda Briggs Frost