Biography
Joan Stitt McMenamin came to Nightingale in 1959, eventually serving as the fifth headmistress from 1971 until her retirement in 1992.
Mrs. McMenamin attended the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, followed by Smith College, where she earned an economics degree, and the Katharine Gibbs School for secretarial skills (per her father's wishes, who believed it would ensure her financial independence). She worked in Paris as secretary and researcher for the Marshall Plan and Paul Hoffman of the Ford Foundation. In 1953, she married Edward B. McMenamin and they lived in Paris and Washington, D.C., where Mrs. McMenamin worked for the European Coal and Steel Community doing general administrative and public relations work. In 1958, the McMenamins moved to New York City, where Mr. McMenamin became Deputy Provost of Columbia University and then Secretary of the University.
In 1959, at the urgent request of a friend and Nightingale Trustee, Mrs. McMenamin came to Nightingale to fill in for one week as a typist for Catherine Woodbridge, who was headmistress at that time. She stayed to help with scheduling and reaccreditation matters, and her education and talents led to her role as a history teacher, where she emphasized knowledge of current events. Mrs. McMenamin's activities outside of Nightingale included serving as a trustee at The Buckley School and The Town School and as an elder at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
The Joan Stitt McMenamin lecture was created following her death in 2004, with the first lecture given in November 2005.
Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:
Item — Box: 08001
Identifier: B08001_F16
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1976 Mar 18
Item — Box: 10066
Identifier: B10066_F01
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1991 Dec 17
Item — Box: 08001
Identifier: B08001_F25
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1982 Jun 2
Item — Box: 06003
Identifier: 006 005 000 03 0023
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1974 Oct 18
Item — Box: 06010
Identifier: 006 005 000 11 0013
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
c. 1980 - 1989
Item — Box: 06004
Identifier: 006 005 000 11 0006
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1976 May 28
