Martha Sharp
| Martha Sharp | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Martha Alice Dickie April 25, 1905 Providence, Rhode Island |
| Died | December 6, 1999 (aged 94) Providence, Rhode Island |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Pembroke College in Brown University (B.A,, Philosophy) Northwestern University (Social Work) Radcliffe College (M.A., Literature) |
| Occupation | social worker, humanitarian |
| Known for | rescue of children in World War II Europe |
| Spouse(s) |
Waitstill Sharp (1927-1954) David H. Cogan (1957-) |
| Children | Hastings Sharp (b. 1932) Martha Content Sharp Joukowsky (b. 1937) |
| Parent(s) | James Edward Ingham Elizabeth Alice Whelan |
Martha Ingham Dickie Sharp Cogan (1905–1999) was an American Unitarian who was involved in humanitarian and social justice work with her first husband, a Unitarian minister, Waitstill Sharp, and others of her denomination, and so helped hundreds of Jews to escape Nazi persecution, through relocation and other efforts. On September 2005, Martha and Waitstill Sharp were named by the Yad Vashem organization as "Righteous Among the Nations". The subsequent ceremony involved the presentation of a medal and certificate of honor to the Sharps' daughter, Martha Sharp Joukowsky, amidst a large audience that included one of the children that her parents had helped get out of France, Eva Esther Feigl.
Martha Ingham Dickie was born on April 25, 1905 in Providence, Rhode Island from parents James Edward Ingham and Elizabeth Alice Whelan. She graduated from Pembroke College. In 1926, she continued her studies at Northwestern University Recreation Training School in the field of social work; with her work and studies centered at the Hull House in Chicago. Her devotion to service and helping others Has been cited as the reason she entered the field. When her training at Northwestern was complete, she accepted the position of Director of Girls’ Work at Hull House, where she acted as social worker to oversee 500 girls.
She married Waitstill Sharp in 1927, and took temporary leave from her work. In 1928, Waitstill enrolled in a master’s program at Harvard Divinity School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the same time, Martha began and subsequently completed an M.A. in literature at Radcliffe College in the same community. They had two children, Hastings (b. 1932) and Martha (b. 1937).
Martha followed Waitstill to Meadville, Pennsylvania, when he was assigned to a small church after his ordination as a Unitarian minister in 1933. There, she served as a second minister, organizing youth work, educational activities, women's meetings, and church suppers. As her husband was found, by congregants, to be difficult to talk to, church members would go to Martha "who was always happy to lend an ear". In 1937 the couple moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts, after Waitstill accepted a position at Wellesley Hills Unitarian Church. The couple separated after World War II, and were divorced in 1954.
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