Elisabeth Gilman

Elisabeth Gilman, circa 1915

Elisabeth Gilman, daughter of Hopkins’ founding president Daniel Coit Gilman, volunteered for service in France with the YMCA from 1917-1919 when she was in her early fifties. In France, she worked as a secretary and managed a Paris canteen for soldiers. Her papers and writings reveal great affection for the soldiers during her work abroad, and praise for her hard work and dedication from her YMCA supervisors. Gilman received her bachelor’s degree from Hopkins in 1921, and later became a high profile member of the Socialist Party in Maryland, running as the Socialist candidate for mayor of Baltimore, governor, and senator in the 1930s. Items displayed here include:

  • Postcards of the canteen for soldiers Gilman managed in Paris
  • A letter from soldier Malcolm Vaughan, asking Gilman to notify his family and send his “love diary” home to a sweetheart in the event of his death
  • An article Gilman wrote titled “The Enlisted Men in Paris,” describing the soldiers she encountered and her work with the YMCA
"The Enlisted Men in Paris"

"The Enlisted Men in Paris"

Canteen - Y.M.C.A. Hotel Pavillon Paris

Canteen - Y.M.C.A. Hotel Pavillon Paris

Y.M.C.A. Hotel Pavillon Paris - Writing and reading room

Y.M.C.A. Hotel Pavillon Paris - Writing and reading room

Letter from soldier Malcolm W. Vaughan to Elisabeth Gilman

Letter from soldier to Elisabeth Gilman