Sister Hughetta Snowden Reminiscence
Sister Hughetta's Correspondences
This document comes from the Sister Hughetta Snowden Reminiscence folder in the Special Collections of the University of Memphis. The folder contains undated correspondences from Sister Hughetta. These were held by the Episcopal Archives in Sewanee, Tennessee. In this letter, she discussed the need for the Sisters to have their own home apart from the chapel. She refers to this as a "Sisters' Home". This way the women could have more privacy to help live out their religious lives the way that they should. This is the only part from the letter that is included in our essay over religion. Not only did she ask about a home for the Sisters, but she also described how the church needed a big chapel to praise and worship God in.
Gerald Chaudron
MSS 54 - 137
The University of Memphis Libraries
December 2014
Dr. Franklin Wright
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Peru's Call Answered By Sister
Religion
This is a newspaper article from an unknown publisher that is dated to be from August 5, 1983. The article details Sister Mary Anne Guthrie's decision to uproot her life and work in a needy village in Peru. In the article, it states that Sister Mary Anne Guthrie believed that the Lord was calling her to go to Peru and assist in the peasant village there. The article then details Sister Mary Anne Guthrie's background information. It discusses her previous roll as Bishop Carrol T. Dozier's administrative assistant. It briefly mentions her involvement with St. Peter Manor, which is housing for the elderly. The article states that when Sister Mary Anne Guthrie decided she wanted to travel elsewhere, she considered going to Lebanon, Guatemala, or Peru. She decided Peru needed the greatest amount of help after meeting a women Dominican nun that was living there. The article accounts the extremely levels of poverty in Peru at the time. According to the article, Sister Mary Anne Guthrie received a sponsor from the Dominican sisters of St. Catharine. The article goes on to announce that Bishop Stafford and Dozier would be giving her a liturgy to honor all of the work she did for the church. More background information is given about Sister Mary Anne Guthrie, such as her work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital before working under Bishop Dozier. The article accounts Sister Mary Anne Guthrie’s rise to being a very influential figure in the diocese, and her eventual running for the Democratic Nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974. The last line of the article states that although she did not receive the nomination, the man who did, Rep. Harold Ford, appointed Sister Mary Anne Guthrie as co-chairman of his campaign.
Michael Clark
MSS 475 Box 370B Folder 3
University of Memphis Libraries
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R.B. Snowden Family Papers
Biography Information on Sister Hughetta Snowden
This document is part of a finding key in the Special Collections at the University of Memphis. We used the biography information on Sister Hughetta Snowden to give us a little background information on the Sister. This information tells us that Sister Hughetta lived from 1848 to 1926. It also tells us that she was the youngest child in her family. She became one of the Episcopal Sisters of St. Mary at the age of 23. The Sister helped to found the Episcopal School for Girls in Memphis, Tennessee. And during the yellow fever outbreak, she helped to care for the sick. The Sisters turned the school into a hospital during that time. After the epidemic, she went on to establish another school and convent in Sewanee, Tennessee. Once she got older, she was transferred back to the motherhouse in New York. This is where she eventually died in 1926.
Louisa Bowen, Victoria Moore, and Gerald Chaudron
MSS 65
University of Memphis Libraries
December 2014
William W. Deupree and Nancy Deupree Crisamore
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Form of National Health System is Supported by Sister Guthrie
Religion, Congress, Memphis, Guthrie, Mary Anne
In this newspaper article, Sister Mary Anne Guthrie says she wants “a national health system in America that would not destroy free enterprise” within the medical field. She told a group at a luncheon at Harris Methodist Church, she feels as though there is not one health insurance bill before Congress that is correctly or completely financed. Sister Mary Anne feels as though there needs to be other ways to finance health insurance that does not involve over-taxing the middle class.<br /><br /> Once a part of Congress, Sister Guthrie wants to author a bill that will emphasize preventive cares, rather than therapeutic ones. Although the Sister is not in favor of socialized medicine, she understands it may be in Memphis’ near future if some drastic changes are not made soon because “even the wealthy are prices out of quality medical care,” she added. All opposition toward the community-style health insurance plans welcome, but will be fought off especially from the interest groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Hospital Association (AHA), (since they are notorious for opposing government-based national health insurance). Sister Mary Anne questions whether or not the AMA and AHA really are a service to all people. She challenges their record. <br /><br />Sister Mary Anne would like to see neighborhood health cares established to educate residents, especially the elderly, in preventative medicine. Prior to this article, there was a lowering of bus fare rates for the elderly so they could better manage to get transportation to and from the medical centers, but more needs to be done. Sister Mary Anne stresses the importance of “gray power” when it comes to voting. She hopes to see a large turnout of older voters for the upcoming primary. She closes with the quote, “we don’t need more food stamp programs, we need more income—a chance to live with dignity.”
MSS 475, Box 370B, Folder 3
University of Memphis Libraries
July 20, 1974
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Flanagan Quits Race to Back Sister Guthrie
Religion, Congress, Memphis, Guthrie, Mary Anne
In this newspaper article, the main topic is how a Democratic candidate and the president of a plywood paneling firm, Mark Flanagan, decided to stop competing for the Eighth District Congressional race so he could support Sister Mary Anne Guthrie—another Democrat in the race. He made his decision based off the fact he and Sister Mary Anne stood for the same things. At a news conference, Flanagan spoke about his goal—to achieve a more diverse Memphis. He is quoted saying, “We can’t tolerate white racism and neither can we tolerate black racism.” There was a rumor going around that Harold Ford, the only black candidate, was manipulating black racism, and Flanagan couldn’t support him as a Democratic candidate. <br /><br />Sister Mary Anne felt Flanagan’s endorsement was just the thing to unify the Democratic Party. Despite the fact of not having any black endorsement, Sister Mary Anne said she still hoped to win the majority of black votes. She also went on to say she was currently not able to receive any endorsement because the Ford family was so prominent and pressured blacks for their votes. There was no way she could support Ford if he were the Democratic nominee, simply for the fact that he could not unify the Democratic Party as a whole to beat the Republicans in November.<br /><br /> Sister Mary Anne is still in the race, along with Lee Whitman, Representative Harold Ford, and Charles Burch, and Joan Best.
MSS 475, Box 370B, Folder 3
University of Memphis Libraries
July 29, 1974
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Bellevue Case Symbolizes Split Views
Religion, Bellevue, Memphis, Guthrie, Mary Anne
In this newspaper article found in the Commercial Appeal, Michael Clark writes about the anguish that has come about from the expansion of a church. Bellevue Baptist Church had been gradually expanding, each time taking more and more land that used to be housing complexes or stores. Sister Mary Anne Guthrie disagrees with Bellevue Baptist Church about their means of expansion. The Sister feels as though the church is putting people out of their homes to take up as much land as they can. The church does not feel the same they feel they are doing what is best for the church and all its members. This clash caused a big war on religions in Memphis during the time. Outsiders looking in were torn between whether or not to tell the church they could not expand or how they can expand.
(More to be edited.)
Michael Clark, the Commercial Appeal
MSS 475, Box 370B, Folder 3
The University of Memphis Libraries
May 28, 1983
Clark, Michael
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Catholic Nun Seeks Nomination for Congress from 8th District
Religion, Congress, Memphis, Guthrie, Mary Anne
In this newspaper article created by Beth Tamke, Sister Mary Anne Guthrie speaks on why she chose to run for Congress for the 8th district. The Sister had been considering the race for two weeks prior to speaking to the newspaper. Guthrie feels as though her running for Congress will help make necessary changes to help the people within the district, (and it doesn’t hurt that she is a nun as well.) One of the biggest issues of the time, is the integrity of the government, feels Guthrie. She says that instead of spending billions of dollars on the defense system, more should be put towards helping people who are in need. She is the first woman to enter the nomination race along with four other men. Sister Guthrie hopes to win the votes of women, men, young people and older people. Her campaign will be funded by the peoples’ contributions making it a “people campaign.” Although, she is venturing on a very different path in her life, she still believes running for Congress is a form of service in her ministry.
The article goes on to say how the Sister’s views are moderate, and tells about her past experiences. Sister Guthrie is a Memphis native, she graduated from St. Agnes Academy, she is a registered nurse, and a graduate student from Notre Dame and St. Louis University. She was an administrator for St. John’s Hospital in Spalding, Nebraska, a night supervisor at City of Memphis Hospital, and a nurse practitioner for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital before working for the Diocese of Memphis.
Beth Tamke
MSS 475, Box 370B, Folder 3
The University of Memphis Libraries
May 30, 1974
Tamke, Beth
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Sister Hughetta Memorial
Religion, Memorial
Sister Hughetta Snowden passed away on February 1st, 1926. There was memorial service held in her honor. This is a pamphlet for Sister Hughetta's memorial. They used this pamphlet to highlight the parts of her life they wanted to remember at the memorial. The text in the pamphlet begins with an account of her death and the many contributions she made to her community. It contains a history of Sister Hughetta’s Snowden life and work. It details her birthplace in New York City and how the Sisterhood of St. Mary was established. It describes Sister Hughetta Snowden as a person of “culture and prominence” and her joining of the Sisterhood of St. Mary. The memorial pamphlet goes on to describe the Sisterhood’s move to Memphis, Tennessee and the outbreak of yellow fever in the Memphis Community. According to the pamphlet, the sisters began to nurse those who fell victim of the yellow fever outbreak back to health and became pillars of the Memphis community. The pamphlet then tells of the founding of St. Mary’s School for Young Ladies in 1873, and Sister Hughetta taking her final vows and becoming a choir sister within the St. Mary’s community in 1874. Sister Hughetta Snowden’s promotion to Sister Superior of Southern work is described, and her “indomitable will and strong personality” is noted. It accounts a story of a fire completely destroying her school, but Sister Hughetta Snowden’s optimism kept the school afloat and a new one was built. A quote from Bishop Gailor accounting Sister Hughetta Snowden’s character is contained in this pamphlet, and finally a conclusion stating her “unselfish service to humanity.”
St. Mary's Cathedral
MSS 65. Box 1. Folder 13.
The University of Memphis Libraries
1926
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