McMenamin, Joan Stitt (Mrs. Edward B.), 1925-2004

Biography

Joan Stitt McMenamin came to Nightingale in 1959, eventually serving as the fifth headmistress from 1971 until her retirement in 1992.

Joan Stitt, born March 7, 1925, was raised in Scarsdale, New York. She 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. As headmistress, she oversaw construction of the new schoolhouse in 1989-1991 before her retirement. The Middle and Upper School library space was named in her honor in the new building.

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. She was very involved in matters involving the education of girls.

Mrs. McMenamin was awarded the Smith Medal by her alma mater in 1985.

The Joan Stitt McMenamin lecture was created following her death on June 12, 2004, with the first lecture given in November 2005.

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