Dorothy M. Breene Papers, 1920-1984

Title:

Dorothy M. Breene Papers, 1920-1984

Creator:

Breene, Dorothy M., 1905-1984

Accession / Call Number:

2026.007

Object ID:

2026.007

Date:

1920-1984

Physical Description:

1 box and 1 oversized folder ; 0.21 linear feet

Scope and Content:

The Dorothy M. Breene Papers, 1920-1984, is a small collection that documents the professional accomplishments of Breene, a registered nurse who worked at the New Hampshire Hospital in Concord, NH, for more than four decades. After completing her nursing education there, she served as a nursing instructor for a decade before becoming nursing director for 30 years until her retirement in 1975.

The collection consists primarily of awards, commendations, newspaper clippings, and photographs related to Breene and her career. Such materials include recognition of her wartime service as an instructor of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps (World War II), Woman of the Year from the New Hampshire State Hospital School of Nursing, an honorary degree from New England College, and certificates of appreciation. This collection contains few personal papers. Aside from a small number of postcards, there is little personal correspondence, although there are two letters of thanks from Senator Margaret Chase Smith after a visit to the hospital. The correspondence also contains postcards of other family and friends. The collection contains no internal records from the New Hampshire Hospital.

Photographs in this collection include images of Breene and unidentified family members, possibly including a half-sister and a niece as many photographs of Breene are labeled "Aunt Dot". There are a few images of her as a child, including as the "Champion of Maine" roller-skating state championship winner in 1920. Additional photographs show her in her nursing uniform and with colleagues, as well as of the New Hampshire Hospital Nurses Home. In addition to these records, the collection includes a sound recording disc sent from John H. Breen Jr. to Dorothy Breene in 1950, although its contents and playability are unknown.

Subjects:

Degrees, Academic, Hospitals, Nurses, Nursing, Nursing--Awards, Photographs, Roller skating, Teachers, World War, 1939-1945

Locations:

Concord, NH

People:

Breene, Dorothy M., 1905-1984, Smith, Margaret Chase, 1897-1995

Credit Line:

Gift of Aimee Moffitt-Mercer.

Restrictions:

Available for research.

Level Description:

Collection

Finding Aid Link:

Dorothy_M_Breene_Papers_2026.007.pdf