Dorothy Chacko | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1904 (1904) Kyoto, Japan |
| Died | 30 December 1992(1992-12-30) (aged 87–88) |
| Resting place | Chester Rural Cemetery 39°51′37″N75°22′05″W / 39.86028°N 75.36806°W /39.86028; -75.36806 |
| Other names | Dorothy Dunning Chacko |
| Occupation(s) | Social worker, physician |
| Years active | 1932-1992 |
| Known for | Medical and social service |
| Spouse | Joseph Chacko |
| Children | Two sons and a daughter |
| Parent(s) | Morton Dexter Dunning Mary Ward Dunning |
| Awards | Padma Shri County of Delaware Hall of Fame GSEP Take the Lead Honour Smith College Medal. |
Dorothy Dunning Chacko (1904 – December 30, 1992) was an American social worker, humanitarian[1] and medical doctor, whose efforts were reported behind the establishment of a lepers' colony at Bethany village, inGanaur,Sonepat district in the Indian state ofHaryana.[2] She was aHall of Famer of theCounty of Delaware,Pennsylvania[3] a recipient of theTake the Lead Honour from theGirl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania[4] and theSmith College Medal.[5] She was honoured by theGovernment of India in 1972 withPadma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.[6]
We landed in India with 10 rupees, five assorted degrees, two suitcases and a steamer trunk, says Dorothy Chacko, about her relocation to India in 1932.[7]
Dorothy Dunning was born in 1904 inKyoto, Japan to congregational missionary couple, Morton Dexter and Mary Ward Dunning as one among their six children,[8] when they were working in Japan.[9] She did her early schooling there and moving to the US at the age of 16,[2] she completed her school education at theBradford Academy,Massachusetts in 1921.[9] She did her initial college education at theSmith College in Northampton from where she graduated in 1925,[9] standing first in the examinations.[2] Choosing a career in medicine, she secured a graduate degree in medicine from theColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York in 1929 and did her internship at theMetropolitan Hospital Center, New York[10] becoming the first female resident of the hospital.[2] She also passed an advanced course in Hygiene from theLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 1932.[2]
In 1930, she met the Indian pastor, C. Joseph Chacko, who had come to US (1924)[11] for his doctoral research in international law at theUniversity of Columbia and they got married in 1932. She moved to India when Joseph Chacko returned to his home land in June 1932[9] to join as a faculty member of international law at theUniversity of Punjab.[10] When India got independence in 1947, she acquired Indian citizenship and continued her practice in India.[9]
Chacko spent her early Indian days inKerala, her husband's native place, and practiced medicine and got involved in social activities. She was one of the founders ofMahila Samajam (Women's forum) for theChurch of the East in Kerala which, over the years grew to become a 1000-member organization involved in missionary and social activities.[11][12] Later, she moved to North India, when Joseph shifted his base there, he would eventually retire as the Professor and the Head of the Department of Political Science from theUniversity of Delhi.[9] There, she helped found a lepers' colony, Bethany Baptists Village Leper Colony,[13] atGanaur, inSonepat district inHaryana.[14][15] Initially she started as a teacher at theWoodstock School,Mussoorie[7] but later, resumed her medical career as the Chief Doctor at the Methodist village clinic, New Delhi and served as the chief medical officer of theWorld Council of Churches conference took place in New Delhi in 1962.[2] She also headed the board of theChristian Medical College, Ludhiana for a period.[2]
In 1967, Joseph Chacko accepted the post of a visiting professor at thePennsylvania Military College, (present dayWidener University) and Chacko family moved toChester, Pennsylvania.[2][10] She continued her medical practice by joiningCrozer-Chester Medical Center,Upland as a staff physician at its maternal and infant-care clinics.[2][10] Here, she co-founded Chester Art Guild to promote art among the Chester residents and was active withYoung Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of which she served as the president from 1974 to 1976.[2]
Dorothy Chacko died on 30 December 1992[10] at her Chester home at the age of 88 and was buried at theChester Rural Cemetery.[2] Joseph and Dorothy Chacko had three children, eldest son, Joseph Chacko, an engineer based in California, the younger son, John Chacko, a medical doctor practicing inRegina, Canada and the youngest, Mary Russel, working in Hawai as a congregational minister.[9]
Dorothy Chacko was honoured with theSmith College Medal by her alma mater,Smith College, in 1970[5] and she was inducted into theHall of Fame ofDelaware County, Pennsylvania in 1996.[3] TheGovernment of India awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian honour ofPadma Shri in 1972. TheGirl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania awarded her theTake the Lead Honour[4] and thePhiladelphia Evening Bulletin, theYWCA, and thePennsylvania Medical Society also honoured her on different occasions.[10]
