Interview with Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson, April 27, 1979

Interview Summary

Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson (known most widely as Marvin Breckinridge or Marvin Breckinridge Patterson) recalls the visits of her cousin, Mary Breckinridge, when Patterson was a child. She indicates that Breckinridge channeled most of her personal fortune into the establishment of the FNS. Patterson also names a number of persons who helped to support the FNS in its early days. She gives information concerning city committees, of which she has been national chairman, and the Board of Governors, of which she has been chairman. Patterson's commentary reflects her long experience as a speaker on behalf of the FNS. She remarks upon administrative matters such as the choice of the FNS director, and also makes observations concerning Mary Breckinridge's philosophy on rural health care.

Interview Keyword

City committees Frontier Nursing Service committees Medical care--Appalachian Region Medical centers--Finance Philanthropists Rural health services

Interview LC Subject

Breckinridge family Breckinridge, Mary, 1881-1965 Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. Medical centers--Administration

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.