Hettie Beaman Lakin Shumway (September 1, 1903 – June 17, 1985) was an American philanthropist and humanist during the early and mid-twentieth century.
Throughout her life Hettie enjoyed swimming, ice skating, singing, listening to radio broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and sailing.
[3] As a youth, Hettie sang with the Junior League Glee Club and the People's Chorus of New York City.
[4] On New Year's Day of 1930, Hettie Lakin met Frank Ritter Shumway when they both went to see Carmen at the opera.
[5] Nine months later on Monday, September 8, 1930 Hettie and Frank were married at Round Hill Community Church in Greenwich, Connecticut.
With a living room full of family photos, that home would become a gathering place for health and social agency staff, various committee members, traveling figure skaters, and many other friends.
[7] The Shumway family had a passion for sailing and owned two schooners named “Spindrift” and “Skookum III”.
Hettie Shumway was extremely fond of sailing and adored spending time with her husband on the "Flying Gull".
She continued to be involved in the community even after she suffered from a paralyzing stroke in 1984, which left her in a wheelchair under the almost constant care of a nurse.
She believed that patients leaving the Rochester Psychiatric Center needed a halfway house to continue their supervision as they adjusted to the outside community.
[16] Hettie Shumway sustained interest in the Rochester area's Poison Control hotline and Mental Health Crisis phone service.
Hettie eventually brought the groups together to form Lifeline, a multi-crisis phone service for the Rochester community.
Once Hettie bought a new roof for one of the halfway homes belonging to the East House Corporation so that the price of lunch for those in need wouldn't be raised $1 (Miller).
[22] Hettie was very committed to the well-being of those with mental health problems, as seen in her role with East House Corporation.
[38] Dr. Ellingson had Professor Harold Kentner speak with the National Advisory Group who were working to find a location for NTID and Kentner went on the write the formal proposal to the group requesting the NTID be established on the RIT campus in Henrietta.
On October 1, 1966, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare wrote to RIT to inform them that they had been selected as the future location of NTID.
[39] In 1967 Hettie Shumway became a member of the advisory board for the establishment of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
[42] Hettie Shumway began taking American Red Cross courses in 1939 and became a chairman of the Civil Defense Volunteer Office of the Rochester War Council in May 1942.
Her responsibilities included working with rationing boards, civilian protection services, and war stamp and bond committees.
[52] In 1968 Hettie received University of Rochester’s Associates Medal for her service to the medical center for over 34 years.
[60] The National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s dining commons are named after Hettie Shumway.
[61] Rochester School for the Deaf’s recreational area named Shumway Court in honor of Mrs.
It takes so little effort to help people.” –Hettie Shumway[64] “Mark, there is no place in the United States that this ought to go except Rochester Institute of Technology.
The long history of the Institute, its help in channeling men and women into the mainstream of American business is so strong, that we have and open and shut case.” –Hettie Shumway[65]