Eleanor K. Peck Collection

Collection

Identifier: WV 0420

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of fifteen letters written by Peck to her family beginning a few days after her arrival in London, England, on 31 October 1941. The letters are addressed to "Poppy", which may be her father, and "Ros", which may be a nickname for her younger sister Rosamond, as well as her family. All fifteen letters describe the people and everyday life in London before she was commissioned by the Army, and discuss any news from the war and her family.

Dates

1941 - 1943

Creator

Peck, Eleanor K. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Biographical Note

Eleanor Kellogg Peck was born on 4 July 1908 in Brookline, Massachusetts, the eldest daughter of John H. and Mary (Kellogg) Peck. Raised in Montclair, New Jersey, Peck graduated with an A.B. from Wellesey College in 1930 and attended the Columbia University College of Physicians until graduating in 1934. Her intership was spent in Bellevue Hospital in New York, and she was affilitated with Vassar and St. Francis hospitals before going to England with the American Red Cross.

Peck began serving as a volunteer physician with the American Red Cross at the Hospital for Sick Children on Great Ormond Street in London in 1941. In 1944, Peck was assigned as a contract surgeon to the Office of the Surgeon for the U.S. Army's Eighth Air Force. According to an excerpt from the book "Women Doctors at War" her duties included making recommendations on WAC (Women's Army Corps) problems, setting up medical care for women in the Eighth Air Force, visiting WAC installations, and carrying out monthly physicals.

The Army wouldn't grant Peck a commission until 10 February 1944, beginning with the rank of 2nd Lietenant. She spent the remainder of the war serving in the Army, and had been promoted to Captain before her discharge. In 1946, Peck moved to Poughkeepsie, New York, where she returned to private practice. During her civilian medical career, she served on community boards such as the Astor Child Guidance Center, United Way, and conducted regular well-baby clinics in Poughkeepsie. In 1979, she was named "Woman of the Year" by the Poughkeepsie chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). She died 30 May 1996, in South Thomaston, Maine, at age eighty-seven.

Note written by Eleanor Peck, Judith Bellafaire, and Mercedes Hererra Graf.

Extent

0.08 Linear Feet (1 oversized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Eleanor Kellogg Peck (1908-1996) was a volunteer pediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children on Great Ormond Street in London from 31 October 1941-1943, and later served as a contract surgeon for the U.S. Army's Eighth Air Force beginning in 1944.

This collection consists of fifteen letters written by Peck to her family beginning a few days after her arrival in London on 31 October 1941.

Arrangement Note

This collection is arranged in chronological order.

Source of Acquisition

Purchased from eBay.

Offensive Language Statement

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