Dr. Eleanor Dorcas Pond Mann—who, alongside Sarah Ida Shaw Martin, founded our organization – was a pioneering physician and devoted volunteer, supported throughout her life by her husband, Arthur Simonds Mann. Understanding her legacy deepens our appreciation for the organization she helped create and inspires us to carry her spirit forward.
Eleanor and Arthur grew up together in Medway, Massachusetts. He was the son of a coal merchant and she was the daughter of a prosperous farmer. By 1880, Eleanor had lost both parents and was living with a widowed relative, Susan Blake and her children. Eleanor and Arthur became close friends in high school. After Arthur graduated and left for MIT, Eleanor and her friend Florence Stewart graduated as valedictorian and salutatorian and went on to attend Boston University together.
In their senior year at BU, Eleanor, nicknamed “Flossie” for her hair, joined her friend Sarah Shaw in creating a new women’s organization with its own rituals, symbols, badge and governing documents. Guided by Sarah’s vision to “be kind alike to all,” the group welcomed its first initiates, Florence Stewart and Isabel Breed, and grew to 21 members by May 1889.
After graduation, Eleanor applied to Tufts Medical College but was initially rejected. She spent the next few years teaching Latin and science in Webster and Salem before finally being admitted to Tufts in 1893, one of only four women in her class. Local newspapers followed their progress closely. Drawing on her Tri Delta experience, Eleanor founded a sorority for women medical students at Tufts and wrote for The Trident about her path to becoming a physician.
Meanwhile, Arthur completed his engineering degree at MIT and joined a Chicago firm. After Eleanor earned her medical degree, the two married in Medway at the home of her foster mother, Susan Blake. Their wedding drew attention in the community and included many friends from both universities. One Tri Delta attendee noted that instead of a traditional wedding march, members sang a Tri Delta song – an early sign of Eleanor’s lifelong devotion to the sorority.
The couple settled in Chicago, where Eleanor pursued postgraduate work and lectured. She founded the Tri Delta alumnae Chicago Alliance in 1897, though Arthur’s transfer to New York prevented her from serving as its first president. In New York, she continued practicing medicine and lecturing at the Women’s Medical School.
In 1902, Arthur’s work took them to Australia for a year. Because women could not practice medicine there at the time, Eleanor taught math at a local high school. When they returned to the U.S., they settled in Schenectady, New York, where Eleanor practiced medicine for more than 20 years, specializing in obstetrics and children’s diseases. She and Arthur loved to travel, even circling the globe and filled their home and gardens with mementos from their journeys.
Arthur also built a distinguished engineering career, teaching briefly at New York University and contributing frequently to industry publications.
Throughout her life, Eleanor remained deeply connected to Tri Delta. She was especially close to members of Beta Chapter at St. Lawrence, helped charter the Syracuse Alliance, and often hosted Tri Deltas in her home. As a featured speaker at the 1906 Convention in Syracuse, she shared her memories of Tri Delta’s founding. She also volunteered with local charities and served as president of the Women’s College Club.
Eleanor and Arthur supported each other through demanding careers and active social lives. His sudden death in 1915 was devastating to her. In his memory, she donated her medical services to the poor of Schenectady until her own death in 1924.
Eleanor is buried beside Arthur in Evergreen Cemetery in their hometown of West Medway.
