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Alumnae

Did You Know My Sister? The following are featured Wellesley College African American and Ethos alumnas who have made an everlasting mark on Wellesley and the world. Their courage, determination, faith and sacrifice have endured through the decades to empower Ethos sisters to educate themselves for the challenges of the future. This webpage is a tribute to their memories. Harriet Alleyne Rice Class of 1887 Harriet Alleyne Rice was the first Black graduate of Wellesley College in 1887. She enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School and was the school's first Black woman medical doctor. In 1896, Rice was one of 115 Black women with a medical degree. In 1893 Rice lived at the Hull-House settlement house, a place where college-educated people conducted volunteer and civic reform work with the poor working class of the area. From 1895-1896, Rice worked at her first downtown part-time private practice along with other women doctors. When the downtown office closed, Rice worked on a project for the Illinois board of Charities where she produced her first publication, "Tabulations of Records of Cook County Institutions with Notes" in the Board's Annual Report. During the same year, Rice became a resident physician at the Chicago maternity Hospital and Training School for Nursery Maids. Later Rice was a medical intern at the local hospital in Poitiers, France for 3.5 years during World War I. Her dedication and sacrifice were admired by the Prince de Bearn, charge d'affaires of the French embassy, who awarded her the bronze Medal of Reconnaissance Francaise in 1919. Afterwards, Rice returned to the States and worked at St. Mary's School in Germantown, PA. Four years later she worked at Colombia University Medical Center in New York City as a laboratory researcher until 1935. She died at the age of 92 in Worcester, MA on May 24, 1958. "A true garden, I think, is a place where youth and beauty may walk hand in hand, where weariness may find repose, where age or distress may hide itself away for comfort, in psalm of thanksgiving or prayer of intercession, that sort of prayer which is no matter of words, but a 'sursum cordal' " - Rice, Harriet A. "War Gardens in France". The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly . January 1919. 3:2. 59. Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert Class of 1888 Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert was the second Black Wellesley graduate in 1888. While at Wellesley, she majored in history and economics. Later at Howard University, she received her Masters of Arts in History, making her one of the earliest professionally trained Black historians. She taught in the Normal Department at Howard University for 11 years. At her 50th Class Reunion, Elbert donated approximately 800 volumes of works from the Reconstruction period to the College Library . Elbert and her son continued to add to the Collection until 1955. Authors include Charles Chestnutt, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and James Weldon Johnson to name a few. The works range from pamphlet writings to folklore to personal narratives. The Elbert Collection stands as a reminder of her devotion to education and historical preservation. On May 24, 1955 Elbert died. The Elbert Collection may be seen today in the Special Collections section of the Margaret Clapp Library of Wellesley College. Ethel Caution-Davis Class of 1912 Ethel Caution-Davis graduated as a Senior Scholar of the Class of 1912. During her Wellesley experience, she did indoor track and served as the YWCA student secretary for Black colleges. After Wellesley, she taught in Durham, NC for 2 years and afterwards the Summer High School in Kansas City. While in Kansas she served on the Executive Committee of Citizen's Forum of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. For 3 years Caution-Davis worked as the Dean of women at Talladega College. She also worked with a public assistance program in New York City. Caution-Davis was more than an educator, she was also a writer of the Harlem Renaissance period. Her poetry and short-stories appeared in the NAACP Crisis magazine, Wellesley , The Wellesley News, The Durham Advocate , and the Brownies Book. She died on December 18, 1981 in New York City at the age of 101. IN '61 Early in '61 the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts disembarked at Charleston. Rumors of their approach had reached the city before them, so that their progress up the main street to the Citadel Green was not unwatched. The door of an imposing residence opened slowly to let an aged black form, resplendent in white apron and red bandanna, out on to the piazza. She tottered down the walk, every now and then casting a half-frightened glance back at the house. Then into the road she went, right into the path of the approaching soldiers, and took her stand. Trembling with age and emotion, she showed no fear of the approaching horse, whom the rider reined in with difficulty. "Is yo' Mas' Yankee?" "Yes," somewhat irritated at this delay. "Is yo' Mas' Yankee?" Then remembering that he had come to fight for the Union and for such of his race as this old woman, he answered with a break in his voice: "Yes, we're the colored Yankees." And with tears streaming down her face, the old woman replied: "Tanky Jesus! Tanky Jesus!" - Caution-Davis, Ethel, "In '61. The Wellesley College News. October 5, 1911. 20:1. 9. Clarissa M. Scott Delany Class of 1923 Clarissa M. Scott Delany was a Phi Beta Kappa member in the Class of 1923. While at Wellesley, she was active in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, varsity field hockey, Debating Team, the Christian Association, and choir singing. After graduation she traveled to France and Germany to research race relations. When she returned to the States, she taught at Dunbar High School in Washington DC and published "A Golden Afternoon in Germany", a summary of her experience in Europe. She also wrote several poems, book reviews, and essays on her memories of Europe. Her writings appear in the National Urban League's Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life and Countee Cullen's Caroling Dusk. Delany later moved to New York where she was a social worker and collected data for the National Urban League's and the Women City Club of New York's "Study of Delinquent and Neglected Negro Children". Unfortunately, Delany died of kidney disease at the age of 26 in 1927. Four years later YWCA "Camp Clarissa" was established in memory of her service and dedication in the Chesapeake Bay area. Interim The night was made for rest and sleep, For the winds that softly sigh; It was not made for grief and tears; So then why do I cry? The wind that blows through leafy trees Is soft and warm and sweet; For me the night is a gracious cloak To hide my soul's defeat. Just one dark hour of shaken depths, Of bitter black despair- Another day will find me brave, And not afraid to dare. Delany, Clarissa Scott. "Interim." Caroling Dusk. Ed. Countee Cullen. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1927. 142-143. The Mask So detached and cool she is No motion e'er betrays The secret life within her soul and the Anguish of her days. She seems to look upon the world With cold ironic eyes, To spurn emotion's fevered sway, To scoff at tears and sighs. But once a woman with a child Passed by her on the street, And once she heard from casual lips A man's name, bitter-sweet. Such baffled yearning in her eyes, Such pain upon her face! I turned aside until the mask Was slipped once more into place. Delany, Clarissa Scott. "The Mask." Caroling Dusk. Ed. Countee Cullen. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1927.143. Ethos would like to thank Wilma Slaight and Jean Berry of the Wellesley College Archives for helping to find information on the above alumnas. Information sources... Harriet Alleyne Rice: gift of Louise W. Knight; October 9,1995 Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert: Archive folder Ethel Caution-Davis: Randolph, Ruth E. and Lorraine E. Roses. Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. 1990. 51-53. Clarissa M. Scott Delany: Randolph, Ruth E. and Lorraine E. Roses. Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. 1990. 80-82.

Ethos \| Wellesley College \| 106 Central Street \|Wellesley, MA 02481 Created by: Monet Spells \| mspells@wellesley.edu \| Fall 2007 Last Modified: February 22, 2008

Did You Know My Sister?

The following are featured Wellesley College African American and Ethos alumnas who have made an everlasting mark on Wellesley and the world. Their courage, determination, faith and sacrifice have endured through the decades to empower Ethos sisters to educate themselves for the challenges of the future. This webpage is a tribute to their memories.

Harriet Alleyne Rice Class of 1887

Harriet Alleyne Rice was the first Black graduate of Wellesley College in 1887. She enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School and was the school's first Black woman medical doctor. In 1896, Rice was one of 115 Black women with a medical degree. In 1893 Rice lived at the Hull-House settlement house, a place where college-educated people conducted volunteer and civic reform work with the poor working class of the area. From 1895-1896, Rice worked at her first downtown part-time private practice along with other women doctors. When the downtown office closed, Rice worked on a project for the Illinois board of Charities where she produced her first publication, "Tabulations of Records of Cook County Institutions with Notes" in the Board's Annual Report. During the same year, Rice became a resident physician at the Chicago maternity Hospital and Training School for Nursery Maids. Later Rice was a medical intern at the local hospital in Poitiers, France for 3.5 years during World War I. Her dedication and sacrifice were admired by the Prince de Bearn, charge d'affaires of the French embassy, who awarded her the bronze Medal of Reconnaissance Francaise in 1919. Afterwards, Rice returned to the States and worked at St. Mary's School in Germantown, PA. Four years later she worked at Colombia University Medical Center in New York City as a laboratory researcher until 1935. She died at the age of 92 in Worcester, MA on May 24, 1958.

"A true garden, I think, is a place where youth and beauty may walk hand in hand, where weariness may find repose, where age or distress may hide itself away for comfort, in psalm of thanksgiving or prayer of intercession, that sort of prayer which is no matter of words, but a 'sursum cordal' " - Rice, Harriet A. "War Gardens in France". The Wellesley Alumnae Quarterly . January 1919. 3:2. 59.

Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert Class of 1888

Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert was the second Black Wellesley graduate in 1888. While at Wellesley, she majored in history and economics. Later at Howard University, she received her Masters of Arts in History, making her one of the earliest professionally trained Black historians. She taught in the Normal Department at Howard University for 11 years. At her 50th Class Reunion, Elbert donated approximately 800 volumes of works from the Reconstruction period to the College Library . Elbert and her son continued to add to the Collection until 1955. Authors include Charles Chestnutt, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and James Weldon Johnson to name a few. The works range from pamphlet writings to folklore to personal narratives. The Elbert Collection stands as a reminder of her devotion to education and historical preservation. On May 24, 1955 Elbert died. The Elbert Collection may be seen today in the Special Collections section of the Margaret Clapp Library of Wellesley College.

Ethel Caution-Davis Class of 1912

Ethel Caution-Davis graduated as a Senior Scholar of the Class of 1912. During her Wellesley experience, she did indoor track and served as the YWCA student secretary for Black colleges. After Wellesley, she taught in Durham, NC for 2 years and afterwards the Summer High School in Kansas City. While in Kansas she served on the Executive Committee of Citizen's Forum of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. For 3 years Caution-Davis worked as the Dean of women at Talladega College. She also worked with a public assistance program in New York City. Caution-Davis was more than an educator, she was also a writer of the Harlem Renaissance period. Her poetry and short-stories appeared in the NAACP Crisis magazine, Wellesley , The Wellesley News, The Durham Advocate , and the Brownies Book. She died on December 18, 1981 in New York City at the age of 101.

IN '61

Early in '61 the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts disembarked at Charleston. Rumors of their approach had reached the city before them, so that their progress up the main street to the Citadel Green was not unwatched. The door of an imposing residence opened slowly to let an aged black form, resplendent in white apron and red bandanna, out on to the piazza. She tottered down the walk, every now and then casting a half-frightened glance back at the house. Then into the road she went, right into the path of the approaching soldiers, and took her stand. Trembling with age and emotion, she showed no fear of the approaching horse, whom the rider reined in with difficulty.

"Is yo' Mas' Yankee?"

"Yes," somewhat irritated at this delay.

"Is yo' Mas' Yankee?"

Then remembering that he had come to fight for the Union and for such of his race as this old woman, he answered with a break in his voice: "Yes, we're the colored Yankees."

And with tears streaming down her face, the old woman replied: "Tanky Jesus! Tanky Jesus!" - Caution-Davis, Ethel, "In '61. The Wellesley College News. October 5, 1911. 20:1. 9.

Clarissa M. Scott Delany Class of 1923

Clarissa M. Scott Delany was a Phi Beta Kappa member in the Class of 1923. While at Wellesley, she was active in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, varsity field hockey, Debating Team, the Christian Association, and choir singing. After graduation she traveled to France and Germany to research race relations. When she returned to the States, she taught at Dunbar High School in Washington DC and published "A Golden Afternoon in Germany", a summary of her experience in Europe. She also wrote several poems, book reviews, and essays on her memories of Europe. Her writings appear in the National Urban League's Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life and Countee Cullen's Caroling Dusk. Delany later moved to New York where she was a social worker and collected data for the National Urban League's and the Women City Club of New York's "Study of Delinquent and Neglected Negro Children". Unfortunately, Delany died of kidney disease at the age of 26 in 1927. Four years later YWCA "Camp Clarissa" was established in memory of her service and dedication in the Chesapeake Bay area.

Interim

The night was made for rest and sleep,
For the winds that softly sigh;
It was not made for grief and tears;
So then why do I cry?

The wind that blows through leafy trees
Is soft and warm and sweet;
For me the night is a gracious cloak
To hide my soul's defeat.
Just one dark hour of shaken depths,
Of bitter black despair-
Another day will find me brave,
And not afraid to dare.
Delany, Clarissa Scott. "Interim." Caroling Dusk. Ed. Countee Cullen. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1927. 142-143.

The Mask
So detached and cool she is
No motion e'er betrays
The secret life within her soul
and the Anguish of her days.
She seems to look upon the world
With cold ironic eyes,
To spurn emotion's fevered sway,
To scoff at tears and sighs.
But once a woman with a child
Passed by her on the street,
And once she heard from casual lips
A man's name, bitter-sweet.
Such baffled yearning in her eyes,
Such pain upon her face!
I turned aside until the mask
Was slipped once more into place.
Delany, Clarissa Scott. "The Mask." Caroling Dusk. Ed. Countee Cullen. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1927.143.

Ethos would like to thank Wilma Slaight and Jean Berry of the Wellesley College Archives for helping to find information on the above alumnas.

Information sources...
Harriet Alleyne Rice: gift of Louise W. Knight; October 9,1995
Ella Lavinia Smith Elbert: Archive folder
Ethel Caution-Davis: Randolph, Ruth E. and Lorraine E. Roses. Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. 1990. 51-53.
Clarissa M. Scott Delany: Randolph, Ruth E. and Lorraine E. Roses. Harlem Renaissance and Beyond. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co. 1990. 80-82.