Draft:Ada Peirce McCormick

Wikipedia:Notability (people) -- look at criteria in terms of "multiple independent sources may be combined to demonstrate notability; [but not] trivial coverage" OR "This guideline applies to authors, editors, journalists, filmmakers, photographers, artists, architects, and other creative professionals. Such a person is notable if:" #1 might be most helpful: "The person is regarded as an important figure or is widely cited by peers or successors" but also "The person's work (or works) has: (a) become a significant monument, (b) been a substantial part of a significant exhibition, (c) won significant critical attention, or (d) been represented within the permanent collections of several notable galleries or museums." because there are several digital collections:

• Maine, very large collection: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1283&context=findingaids
• Drexel: https://archivalcollections.drexel.edu/repositories/5/resources/2125#
• Arizona: https://lib.arizona.edu/special-collections/collections/ada-peirce-mccormick-papers

Ariz Daily Star obituary: https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-star-obituary-for-ada-peir/54411183/

NYT obit, small: https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/06/archives/ada-p-mcormick.html

Not finding prominent coverage is g-Scholar or g-search or g-books

Collection "In her own right" note: http://inherownright.org/records/acc-164 and digitized: http://inherownright.org/catalog?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_field=collection&q=Ada%20Peirce%20McCormick%20papers--ACC-164

Ada Peirce McCormick was a well known activist, lecturer, and writer who lived most of her life in Tucson, Arizona. She was born on March 28, 1888 to a wealthy lumber family in Bangor, Maine. She studied social work at the Boston School of Social Work and Radcliffe College, and married Fred C. McCormick in 1915. Living in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, McCormick gained prominence as a writer and lecturer focusing on family and marriage. In 1931, the McCormicks moved to Tucson, Arizona where in 1937 she founded the Chapel of Wandering Scholars, later to be renamed the Little Chapel of All Nations, and started publishing The Letter magazine in 1943. McCormick was a dedicated social justice advocate and civil rights advocate, and was very involved with the University of Arizona. She passed away in Tucson on August 4, 1974 and is still remembered today as a staunch advocate for her community and the civil rights of those in it. The Ada Peirce McCormick Papers consist of personal correspondence she received and professional documents pertaining to her writing and the Little Chapel of All Nations. The bulk of the correspondence is written to McCormick by Dr. Elizabeth Clark, and ranges in date from 1908-1949 although there are considerable gaps in the coverage of this time range. Other correspondents include Emma Elizabeth Musson, M.D.,Catharine Macfarlane, M.D., Frances Culbreth Van Gasken, M.D., and Elise Whitlock-Rose, M.D. Almost all copies of The Letter magazine are also included in this collection, as well as a number of other promotional materials and article reprints from The Letter. Materials pertaining to the history and publicity of the Little Chapel of All Nations are also included in this collection. There is also considerable biographical information on McCormick which includes obituaries, articles about her, and reprinted works. Almost all of this collection has been digitized, with the exception of the issues of The Letter, and material relating to the Little Chapel of All Nations.

Bio from Drexel link above:

Ada Peirce McCormick, born Ada Stetson Peirce, was a well known activist, lecturer, and writer who lived most of her life in Tucson, Arizona. Ms. McCormick was born on March 28, 1888 in Bangor, Maine to a wealthy family in the lumber business. She had two brothers, Waldo and Hayford Peirce, who would go on to careers in painting and art history. She was introduced to academia at an early age from her godparents, Dr. Richard C. Cabot, a renowned physician and Harvard University professor, and his wife Ella Lyman Cabot, a well known writer and lecturer. The Cabots would have a strong impact on Mrs. McCormick’s life and she was very close with them until their deaths in the 1930s. Mrs. McCormick attended the Ogontz School for Young Ladies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and would go on to study social work at the Boston School of Social Work and Radcliffe College. Due to her social work background and the influence of her godparents, Mrs. McCormick was very well connected in the medical community and was a very close lifelong friend of Philadelphia surgeon and physician Dr. Elizabeth Clark, although it is unclear how Mrs. McCormick and Dr. Clark met.

Mrs. McCormick met her husband Fred C. McCormick in 1912, and after three years of being romantic pen-pals, they married in 1915. The new couple then moved to Mr. McCormick’s hometown of Williamsport, Pennsylvania where he worked with his father in the insurance business. While in Williamsport, Mrs. McCormick honed her writing skills and in 1924, was published in the widely read publication Harper’s Magazine. The article was an essay on time spent with the child Richard Derby, the grandson of former president Theodore Roosevelt, who Mrs. McCormick babysat in the summer of 1922. Richard died later in 1922 at eight years old. The article gave Mrs. McCormick national attention, and in 1925, she began lecturing at universities in the northeastern United States about marriage and family. In February 1930, Mrs. McCormick even sponsored a speech by world renowned journalist Ida M. Tarbell at the University of Arizona.

After spending their winters in Tucson, Arizona for many years, the McCormicks moved permanently to Tucson in 1931. Mr. McCormick became an English professor at the University of Arizona and was the managing editor of the Arizona Quarterly. Mrs. McCormick received a degree from the University of Arizona in 1932, and continued giving lectures. However, Mrs. McCormick became much more involved in the Tucson community after she and her husband moved to a bigger house close to the University in 1937. On the property, Mrs. McCormick opened the Chapel of Wandering Scholars in 1937, which was a space for members of the Tucson community to gather, pray, meditate, and study no matter what their religious or spiritual orientation was. The chapel, going through several name changes, was known as the Cabot Chapel from 1943-1946, and since 1946, has been named the Little Chapel of All Nations. The chapel was incorporated in 1954 and is still open and operating as of the date of writing (13 January, 2020). While operating the chapel, Mrs. McCormick got more involved with the community and with social activism. In January 1943 she started a magazine called The Letter, which she published and wrote articles for until 1948. Mrs. McCormick also served as secretary for the University of Arizona Religious Council. In 1942, during the start of America’s involvement during the second World War, Mrs. McCormick began advocating tirelessly for the African American soldiers in Tucson. The African American soldiers in Tucson were not permitted to use the normal United Service Organization (USO) center in Tucson, which provided services and entertainment for military personnel, and Mrs. McCormick heavily lobbied for another USO center that African American soldiers could use. Later in 1942 Mrs. McCormick and other local community members succeeded, and Mrs. McCormick proved herself to be a dedicated and caring advocate for social justice. Mrs. McCormick also founded the Character-Intelligence Research Center where she conducted research on a number of topics ranging from the effects of television on children to taxation.

Mrs. McCormick continued running the Little Chapel of All Nations and giving lectures in Tucson and elsewhere for the rest of her life. For six years she was also a board member on the Board of Curators of the Arizona State Department Library and Archives. In August 1955 she was awarded a Citation for Distinguished Service by the American Legion, and in 1960, the University of Arizona 75th Anniversary Medallion of Merit. She was also a dedicated member of the League of Women Voters, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Tucson Press Club. Mrs. Ada Peirce McCormick passed away on August 4, 1974 at 86 years old. She is remembered today as an integral part of the Tucson community and a tireless fighter for civil rights and social justice.

Bio from Maine above:

Ada Stetson Peirce McCormick was born in Bangor, Maine on March 28, 1888, the fourth child of Mellen Chamberlain and Anna Cora Hayford Peirce. Her education included the Ogontz School, Garland

School of Homemaking, Boston School of Social Workers, and the University of Arizona where she earned a degree in 1932. She married Frederick Culver McCormick in Bangor on July 31, 1915, and they

settled in Williamsport, Pennsylvania until they relocated to Tucson, Arizona in 1931. She was editor of the magazine Letter, a national publication promoting better international relations. She helped to

incorporate the Little Chapel of All Nations, a non-denominational chapel for both students and those seeking a quiet place to pray. She passed away August 4, 1974.

From Arizona collection:

"Ada Stetson Peirce was born in Bangor, Maine, on March 28, 1888, to Mellen C. and Ann Hayford Peirce. The youngest of four children, she grew up in a prosperous and conservative environment. Ada's post-secondary education included the Ogontz School, Garland School of Homemaking, Boston School of Social Workers, a brief stint at Radcliffe, and the University of Arizona, where she earned a degree in 1932. In 1912, while in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, she met Fred Culver McCormick through a mutual acquaintance. The two married on July 31, 1915, after carrying on a long-distance romance. They moved to Williamsport where Fred worked in his father's insurance business. From 1925 to 1930, Ada gave lectures on marriage and homemaking at various eastern colleges, establishing a national reputation.

The McCormicks relocated to Tucson, Arizona, in 1931 for health reasons. Fred joined the University of Arizona faculty as Professor of English and served as the managing editor of the . In 1937, Ada Peirce McCormick (APM) started the Chapel of Wandering Scholars near the University of Arizona. It later became Cabot Chapel and, in 1954, was incorporated as the non-denominational Little Chapel of All Nations to "promote the God-seeking impulses in mankind."

APM was active in community affairs on a number of different fronts. In 1942, she lobbied to create a recreational facility in Tucson for African-American soldiers, an effort that met with heated opposition from many Tucsonans. The Negro United Service Organization presented her with a commendation for her controversial work. APM's passion for social justice and human rights prompted her to found , a national quarterly devoted to promoting dialogue on national and international problems and to better relationships between individuals and nations. The first issue appeared in January, 1943. Although it soon became an irregular quarterly, subsequent issues contained works by noted authors and APM editorials on relationships and international concerns. gave numerous awards to individuals in various fields for their moral courage, intellect and devotion to country. The last issue was printed in 1948.

A published author and prolific letter writer, APM conducted research on myriad issues and corresponded with many of the social and political leaders, academics, industry executives, and literary figures of her time. Over the years APM received many awards and recognitions for her accomplishments, including, in 1960, the University of Arizona 75th Anniversary Medallion for her religious work with students. Preceded in death by her husband, APM passed away August 4, 1974. For additional information on her life, see: Ada: , by Roger J. O'Mara. (Call number, F29 B2 M36 1988)."