Women's History Month Program at NMHM

Today Tom Goehner, Manager of Historical Outreach at the American Red Cross Headquarters gave a slide presentation about the role of women in the ARC--Clara Barton, Jane Delano, Minnie Pearle, Marlee Matlin, Liddy Dole, etc. The program included some great images including this one of the ARC Gray Ladies at Walter Reed Hospital (ca. 1918). The Gray Lady service began at Walter Reed in 1918. Their uniform consisted of a gray dress and veil. They served as hostesses and provided recreational services for the recovering wounded at Walter Reed. The soldiers affectionately called them "Gray Ladies" and the name stuck. The Gray Lady service continued to serve hospital patients until the 1960s.

Evidently the ARC Archives has some 30,000 images in its collections.