Dr. Elinor Whitney Fosdick Downs died of natural causes on April 13, 2020 at Springhouse, her Residential Community in Jamaica Plain, MA at the age of 108, embraced in person by her daughter and (virtually) by her son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family who were with her in spirit but could not be present because of the coronavirus.
Her life can only be described as remarkable. Dr. Downs, the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick the noted pastor of Riverside Church in NY City, grew up in Montclair, NJ and the Union Theological Seminary in New York City where the family lived while her father was the minister at Riverside. She attended the Horace Mann High School in New York and then went to Smith College along with her sister Dorothy Fosdick and a cousin Ginny Whitney.
When she graduated from Smith College in 1933 with a desire to be a doctor, she was told that no school would admit her because of gender bias. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was admitted to her first choice, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When she graduated, she was informed that no hospital would give her an internship. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was given an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester in 1937. There she met her future husband, Dr. Roger Downs, who was a resident physician.
She specialized in pediatrics, and after finishing her pediatric training, she married Roger on Mouse Island in Boothbay Harbor, ME in the summer of 1939. On December 7, 1941, (ironically Pearl Harbor Day), the two opened a practice together in Litchfield Connecticut. However, Roger was drafted into the Navy in Oct 1942 leaving Elinor to keep the practice going. Roger died in 1945 while preparing for the anticipated invasion of Japan, leaving her with two young children, Patricia and Stephen. She never remarried.
After the death of her husband Dr. Downs moved with her children to New York to live with her parents and became the Bronxville School physician where her children were enrolled. In 1948, she moved with her two children to Geneva Switzerland to work at the World Health Organization focusing on global health issues, returning two years later to the US.
After her experiences in world health issues, public health became her career focus. She joined the American Public Health Association where she wrote state of the art documents highlighting the public health perspectives on polio prevention, mental health programs, and programs for children with disabilities among others. In 1960 she joined the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she had an extremely significant impact on building the maternal and child health programs at the School. As a Fellow in Epidemiology, she did pioneering field work on Nutritional Epidemiology in Arab Refugee camps in the Middle East, introduced scores of students from around the world to the public health functions of New York City, and rose to become the Associate Dean of the school before she retired in 1981. As one of the few women on the faculty she was often assigned administrative tasks that her male associates declined, but her work ethic made her a major positive force in the vital behind-the-scenes work of the School.
After retiring at the age of 70, Dr. Downs embarked on a life of adventure, visiting the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon basin, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, making many friends around the world in the process.
A lifelong interest in archeology that had been kindled by her childhood discoveries of Native American artifacts on the beaches of Maine, blossomed in retirement. She took her archeological career very seriously and enrolled in classes in Harvard's Graduate School, MIT and the University of Massachusetts Boston. Some of her papers were published including one that alerted both researchers and archaeologists to the need for caution in reporting and interpreting unconfirmed test results on ancient blood proteins. Archeology also gave her and her archeological colleagues, many of whom were generations younger, opportunities to travel to exotic places including Belize, South Korea, and the plains in the American Southwest.
She developed into a noted artist who won awards for her paintings, cartoons, and archeological drawings. She entered the annual contest for senior artists offered by the Secretary of State and always won a prize. She entertained the residents of Springhouse with many of her paintings and cartoons over the 25 years she lived there.
She never seemed to get old, and after she wrote her autobiography, she kept having to write updated versions because her life continued to be active and interesting well into her century of existence. She finally stopped driving (stick shift!) at 101when her license expired and she was afraid the Registry would query her abilities. She was never happier than when she was on a beach near her summer home in Southport ME., beachcombing for artifacts that she eventually donated to the University of Maine at Orono for students to use.
Known as "Fuzzy" for her soft frizzy hair, and "Omi" by her family, she was treasured by all for her warmth, simplicity, humor, humility, and her beguiling smile, all of which created an impression of openness, accessibility and wisdom. She avoided disasters by calling them "adventures" and revelled in living life fully. She could make people laugh with her quick and intuitive remarks. At a recent party for centenarians she was asked what was her secret to longevity. She thought a minute and said "I just don't die". In her Autobiography "Who Am I?" she wrote about herself "I am proud of my heritage and take comfort in the strength of my background. Along with my kinky hair, I must have inherited a certain sense of personal and social responsibility, a spirit of adventure, a touch of ease with non-conformity, and a streak of independence. I don't need to seek status or recognition - I feel free! And as I look ahead to the future, I like to imagine that I am a conduit to the next generation, my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren."
She is survived by her daughter Dr. Patricia Downs Berger of Brookline MA, her son, Stephen F. Downs, Esq, of Albany NY, her grandchildren, Margot Downs and Paul Faulstich of Yarmouth ME, Roger Downs and Meredith Hummel, of New Baltimore NY, Philip Downs and Jillian Downs-Wooten, of Durham NC., Ilana Berger and Eli Dueker of Kingston NY, Shana Berger, of Somerville MA, and her nine great grandchildren, Ava and Louise Downs, Hazel and Henry Downs, Maya and Anna Faulstich, Hannah Dueker, Rosie Berger, and Isaiah Berger. In her final years, she was supported by several dedicated home health aides, who made it possible for her to remain in her own apartment as she desired - particularly Brenda Morris, Makda Mulat and Haregwin Tedla.
Her life can only be described as remarkable. Dr. Downs, the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick the noted pastor of Riverside Church in NY City, grew up in Montclair, NJ and the Union Theological Seminary in New York City where the family lived while her father was the minister at Riverside. She attended the Horace Mann High School in New York and then went to Smith College along with her sister Dorothy Fosdick and a cousin Ginny Whitney.
When she graduated from Smith College in 1933 with a desire to be a doctor, she was told that no school would admit her because of gender bias. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was admitted to her first choice, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When she graduated, she was informed that no hospital would give her an internship. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was given an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester in 1937. There she met her future husband, Dr. Roger Downs, who was a resident physician.
She specialized in pediatrics, and after finishing her pediatric training, she married Roger on Mouse Island in Boothbay Harbor, ME in the summer of 1939. On December 7, 1941, (ironically Pearl Harbor Day), the two opened a practice together in Litchfield Connecticut. However, Roger was drafted into the Navy in Oct 1942 leaving Elinor to keep the practice going. Roger died in 1945 while preparing for the anticipated invasion of Japan, leaving her with two young children, Patricia and Stephen. She never remarried.
After the death of her husband Dr. Downs moved with her children to New York to live with her parents and became the Bronxville School physician where her children were enrolled. In 1948, she moved with her two children to Geneva Switzerland to work at the World Health Organization focusing on global health issues, returning two years later to the US.
After her experiences in world health issues, public health became her career focus. She joined the American Public Health Association where she wrote state of the art documents highlighting the public health perspectives on polio prevention, mental health programs, and programs for children with disabilities among others. In 1960 she joined the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she had an extremely significant impact on building the maternal and child health programs at the School. As a Fellow in Epidemiology, she did pioneering field work on Nutritional Epidemiology in Arab Refugee camps in the Middle East, introduced scores of students from around the world to the public health functions of New York City, and rose to become the Associate Dean of the school before she retired in 1981. As one of the few women on the faculty she was often assigned administrative tasks that her male associates declined, but her work ethic made her a major positive force in the vital behind-the-scenes work of the School.
After retiring at the age of 70, Dr. Downs embarked on a life of adventure, visiting the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon basin, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, making many friends around the world in the process.
A lifelong interest in archeology that had been kindled by her childhood discoveries of Native American artifacts on the beaches of Maine, blossomed in retirement. She took her archeological career very seriously and enrolled in classes in Harvard's Graduate School, MIT and the University of Massachusetts Boston. Some of her papers were published including one that alerted both researchers and archaeologists to the need for caution in reporting and interpreting unconfirmed test results on ancient blood proteins. Archeology also gave her and her archeological colleagues, many of whom were generations younger, opportunities to travel to exotic places including Belize, South Korea, and the plains in the American Southwest.
She developed into a noted artist who won awards for her paintings, cartoons, and archeological drawings. She entered the annual contest for senior artists offered by the Secretary of State and always won a prize. She entertained the residents of Springhouse with many of her paintings and cartoons over the 25 years she lived there.
She never seemed to get old, and after she wrote her autobiography, she kept having to write updated versions because her life continued to be active and interesting well into her century of existence. She finally stopped driving (stick shift!) at 101when her license expired and she was afraid the Registry would query her abilities. She was never happier than when she was on a beach near her summer home in Southport ME., beachcombing for artifacts that she eventually donated to the University of Maine at Orono for students to use.
Known as "Fuzzy" for her soft frizzy hair, and "Omi" by her family, she was treasured by all for her warmth, simplicity, humor, humility, and her beguiling smile, all of which created an impression of openness, accessibility and wisdom. She avoided disasters by calling them "adventures" and revelled in living life fully. She could make people laugh with her quick and intuitive remarks. At a recent party for centenarians she was asked what was her secret to longevity. She thought a minute and said "I just don't die". In her Autobiography "Who Am I?" she wrote about herself "I am proud of my heritage and take comfort in the strength of my background. Along with my kinky hair, I must have inherited a certain sense of personal and social responsibility, a spirit of adventure, a touch of ease with non-conformity, and a streak of independence. I don't need to seek status or recognition - I feel free! And as I look ahead to the future, I like to imagine that I am a conduit to the next generation, my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren."
She is survived by her daughter Dr. Patricia Downs Berger of Brookline MA, her son, Stephen F. Downs, Esq, of Albany NY, her grandchildren, Margot Downs and Paul Faulstich of Yarmouth ME, Roger Downs and Meredith Hummel, of New Baltimore NY, Philip Downs and Jillian Downs-Wooten, of Durham NC., Ilana Berger and Eli Dueker of Kingston NY, Shana Berger, of Somerville MA, and her nine great grandchildren, Ava and Louise Downs, Hazel and Henry Downs, Maya and Anna Faulstich, Hannah Dueker, Rosie Berger, and Isaiah Berger. In her final years, she was supported by several dedicated home health aides, who made it possible for her to remain in her own apartment as she desired - particularly Brenda Morris, Makda Mulat and Haregwin Tedla.
Dr. Elinor Whitney Fosdick Downs died of natural causes on April 13, 2020 at Springhouse, her Residential Community in Jamaica Plain, MA at the age of 108, embraced in person by her daughter and (virtually) by her son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family who were with her in spirit but could not be present because of the coronavirus.
Her life can only be described as remarkable. Dr. Downs, the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick the noted pastor of Riverside Church in NY City, grew up in Montclair, NJ and the Union Theological Seminary in New York City where the family lived while her father was the minister at Riverside. She attended the Horace Mann High School in New York and then went to Smith College along with her sister Dorothy Fosdick and a cousin Ginny Whitney.
When she graduated from Smith College in 1933 with a desire to be a doctor, she was told that no school would admit her because of gender bias. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was admitted to her first choice, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When she graduated, she was informed that no hospital would give her an internship. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was given an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester in 1937. There she met her future husband, Dr. Roger Downs, who was a resident physician.
She specialized in pediatrics, and after finishing her pediatric training, she married Roger on Mouse Island in Boothbay Harbor, ME in the summer of 1939. On December 7, 1941, (ironically Pearl Harbor Day), the two opened a practice together in Litchfield Connecticut. However, Roger was drafted into the Navy in Oct 1942 leaving Elinor to keep the practice going. Roger died in 1945 while preparing for the anticipated invasion of Japan, leaving her with two young children, Patricia and Stephen. She never remarried.
After the death of her husband Dr. Downs moved with her children to New York to live with her parents and became the Bronxville School physician where her children were enrolled. In 1948, she moved with her two children to Geneva Switzerland to work at the World Health Organization focusing on global health issues, returning two years later to the US.
After her experiences in world health issues, public health became her career focus. She joined the American Public Health Association where she wrote state of the art documents highlighting the public health perspectives on polio prevention, mental health programs, and programs for children with disabilities among others. In 1960 she joined the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she had an extremely significant impact on building the maternal and child health programs at the School. As a Fellow in Epidemiology, she did pioneering field work on Nutritional Epidemiology in Arab Refugee camps in the Middle East, introduced scores of students from around the world to the public health functions of New York City, and rose to become the Associate Dean of the school before she retired in 1981. As one of the few women on the faculty she was often assigned administrative tasks that her male associates declined, but her work ethic made her a major positive force in the vital behind-the-scenes work of the School.
After retiring at the age of 70, Dr. Downs embarked on a life of adventure, visiting the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon basin, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, making many friends around the world in the process.
A lifelong interest in archeology that had been kindled by her childhood discoveries of Native American artifacts on the beaches of Maine, blossomed in retirement. She took her archeological career very seriously and enrolled in classes in Harvard's Graduate School, MIT and the University of Massachusetts Boston. Some of her papers were published including one that alerted both researchers and archaeologists to the need for caution in reporting and interpreting unconfirmed test results on ancient blood proteins. Archeology also gave her and her archeological colleagues, many of whom were generations younger, opportunities to travel to exotic places including Belize, South Korea, and the plains in the American Southwest.
She developed into a noted artist who won awards for her paintings, cartoons, and archeological drawings. She entered the annual contest for senior artists offered by the Secretary of State and always won a prize. She entertained the residents of Springhouse with many of her paintings and cartoons over the 25 years she lived there.
She never seemed to get old, and after she wrote her autobiography, she kept having to write updated versions because her life continued to be active and interesting well into her century of existence. She finally stopped driving (stick shift!) at 101when her license expired and she was afraid the Registry would query her abilities. She was never happier than when she was on a beach near her summer home in Southport ME., beachcombing for artifacts that she eventually donated to the University of Maine at Orono for students to use.
Known as "Fuzzy" for her soft frizzy hair, and "Omi" by her family, she was treasured by all for her warmth, simplicity, humor, humility, and her beguiling smile, all of which created an impression of openness, accessibility and wisdom. She avoided disasters by calling them "adventures" and revelled in living life fully. She could make people laugh with her quick and intuitive remarks. At a recent party for centenarians she was asked what was her secret to longevity. She thought a minute and said "I just don't die". In her Autobiography "Who Am I?" she wrote about herself "I am proud of my heritage and take comfort in the strength of my background. Along with my kinky hair, I must have inherited a certain sense of personal and social responsibility, a spirit of adventure, a touch of ease with non-conformity, and a streak of independence. I don't need to seek status or recognition - I feel free! And as I look ahead to the future, I like to imagine that I am a conduit to the next generation, my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren."
She is survived by her daughter Dr. Patricia Downs Berger of Brookline MA, her son, Stephen F. Downs, Esq, of Albany NY, her grandchildren, Margot Downs and Paul Faulstich of Yarmouth ME, Roger Downs and Meredith Hummel, of New Baltimore NY, Philip Downs and Jillian Downs-Wooten, of Durham NC., Ilana Berger and Eli Dueker of Kingston NY, Shana Berger, of Somerville MA, and her nine great grandchildren, Ava and Louise Downs, Hazel and Henry Downs, Maya and Anna Faulstich, Hannah Dueker, Rosie Berger, and Isaiah Berger. In her final years, she was supported by several dedicated home health aides, who made it possible for her to remain in her own apartment as she desired - particularly Brenda Morris, Makda Mulat and Haregwin Tedla.
Her life can only be described as remarkable. Dr. Downs, the daughter of Harry Emerson Fosdick the noted pastor of Riverside Church in NY City, grew up in Montclair, NJ and the Union Theological Seminary in New York City where the family lived while her father was the minister at Riverside. She attended the Horace Mann High School in New York and then went to Smith College along with her sister Dorothy Fosdick and a cousin Ginny Whitney.
When she graduated from Smith College in 1933 with a desire to be a doctor, she was told that no school would admit her because of gender bias. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was admitted to her first choice, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. When she graduated, she was informed that no hospital would give her an internship. She said, "Well at least I can try", and was given an internship at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester in 1937. There she met her future husband, Dr. Roger Downs, who was a resident physician.
She specialized in pediatrics, and after finishing her pediatric training, she married Roger on Mouse Island in Boothbay Harbor, ME in the summer of 1939. On December 7, 1941, (ironically Pearl Harbor Day), the two opened a practice together in Litchfield Connecticut. However, Roger was drafted into the Navy in Oct 1942 leaving Elinor to keep the practice going. Roger died in 1945 while preparing for the anticipated invasion of Japan, leaving her with two young children, Patricia and Stephen. She never remarried.
After the death of her husband Dr. Downs moved with her children to New York to live with her parents and became the Bronxville School physician where her children were enrolled. In 1948, she moved with her two children to Geneva Switzerland to work at the World Health Organization focusing on global health issues, returning two years later to the US.
After her experiences in world health issues, public health became her career focus. She joined the American Public Health Association where she wrote state of the art documents highlighting the public health perspectives on polio prevention, mental health programs, and programs for children with disabilities among others. In 1960 she joined the faculty of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she had an extremely significant impact on building the maternal and child health programs at the School. As a Fellow in Epidemiology, she did pioneering field work on Nutritional Epidemiology in Arab Refugee camps in the Middle East, introduced scores of students from around the world to the public health functions of New York City, and rose to become the Associate Dean of the school before she retired in 1981. As one of the few women on the faculty she was often assigned administrative tasks that her male associates declined, but her work ethic made her a major positive force in the vital behind-the-scenes work of the School.
After retiring at the age of 70, Dr. Downs embarked on a life of adventure, visiting the Arctic, Antarctic, Amazon basin, China, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, making many friends around the world in the process.
A lifelong interest in archeology that had been kindled by her childhood discoveries of Native American artifacts on the beaches of Maine, blossomed in retirement. She took her archeological career very seriously and enrolled in classes in Harvard's Graduate School, MIT and the University of Massachusetts Boston. Some of her papers were published including one that alerted both researchers and archaeologists to the need for caution in reporting and interpreting unconfirmed test results on ancient blood proteins. Archeology also gave her and her archeological colleagues, many of whom were generations younger, opportunities to travel to exotic places including Belize, South Korea, and the plains in the American Southwest.
She developed into a noted artist who won awards for her paintings, cartoons, and archeological drawings. She entered the annual contest for senior artists offered by the Secretary of State and always won a prize. She entertained the residents of Springhouse with many of her paintings and cartoons over the 25 years she lived there.
She never seemed to get old, and after she wrote her autobiography, she kept having to write updated versions because her life continued to be active and interesting well into her century of existence. She finally stopped driving (stick shift!) at 101when her license expired and she was afraid the Registry would query her abilities. She was never happier than when she was on a beach near her summer home in Southport ME., beachcombing for artifacts that she eventually donated to the University of Maine at Orono for students to use.
Known as "Fuzzy" for her soft frizzy hair, and "Omi" by her family, she was treasured by all for her warmth, simplicity, humor, humility, and her beguiling smile, all of which created an impression of openness, accessibility and wisdom. She avoided disasters by calling them "adventures" and revelled in living life fully. She could make people laugh with her quick and intuitive remarks. At a recent party for centenarians she was asked what was her secret to longevity. She thought a minute and said "I just don't die". In her Autobiography "Who Am I?" she wrote about herself "I am proud of my heritage and take comfort in the strength of my background. Along with my kinky hair, I must have inherited a certain sense of personal and social responsibility, a spirit of adventure, a touch of ease with non-conformity, and a streak of independence. I don't need to seek status or recognition - I feel free! And as I look ahead to the future, I like to imagine that I am a conduit to the next generation, my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren."
She is survived by her daughter Dr. Patricia Downs Berger of Brookline MA, her son, Stephen F. Downs, Esq, of Albany NY, her grandchildren, Margot Downs and Paul Faulstich of Yarmouth ME, Roger Downs and Meredith Hummel, of New Baltimore NY, Philip Downs and Jillian Downs-Wooten, of Durham NC., Ilana Berger and Eli Dueker of Kingston NY, Shana Berger, of Somerville MA, and her nine great grandchildren, Ava and Louise Downs, Hazel and Henry Downs, Maya and Anna Faulstich, Hannah Dueker, Rosie Berger, and Isaiah Berger. In her final years, she was supported by several dedicated home health aides, who made it possible for her to remain in her own apartment as she desired - particularly Brenda Morris, Makda Mulat and Haregwin Tedla.
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