Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

in regard to the reconstmction, and she died over there.
expected.
I
It was un4
Q. She died after the war then?
A. Yes, after the war.
I
;
Q. And what was her 'title? I
1
A. She was Director df the Amarican Red Cross Nursing %mice. And then
Miss Clara Noyes succeeded her. Miss Noyes sent word to I-@ while I was
still working for the state to met her in Chicago to tau about an assigmnt.
So I went and this was it; she wanted mz to go to *beria. We had
lunch together and it was over lunch that-I think I dimF% eat much. (chuckles)
I probably sat with ngt muth open thou&. I was for it rii@jnt off. She told
me a lot about it, about what I was expected to do.
At the time when I left Springfield, you know, I didnlt krpw that I was
going to be chief. When I got to San Francisco to ,take tk boat--we were
there for days, I got acquainted with all the nurses--I tkpu$-it they'd put
me in charge of this group just for the trip, you see. W@n I got t@
Vladivostok--the director of nursing had been a missionary in Japan, j she
wasn't Red Cross, she didn't know much about it, but that wasnlt thelpoint.
She was a fine person, and I think she mustlve had some eqxutive ability.
She was riding on the train, Trans Siberian Railroad, andbhe was knitting
and the train jerked and she got the needle in her eye. e had to go back
to the United States for treatnutnt which cmldnlt be done ut there and had
already left before I amdved. So I becam chief nurse o the group there.
There were nurses already there who had corrle in a ~reviod pup. We had
eighteen rwn with our [pup]. Well, so that's the way I ptwted. Then
I had this diary, it's on trip across-well, first of @L1, a11 the things
that were done for me here in the way of parties. [narratmr reads and explains
her diary. ]. And one party in particular, the Avodan Club had SOB
very nice little private poem that they made up and they, each one, gave
m a rose. Tney cam and they recited their little poem. Would you like
to hem that?
Q. bat is the Avonian Club?
P
A. The Avonian Club was a literary club that took it s n; *bt from th Avon
River. It; started as a Shakespearean club really, and thf 1 it got 0 r into
prominent pro&;rams, needs and all that. More than just 1: ;erary, it was
mre of a social idea, that is a social service idea. Vat iael mds y - at
one tlm was a mmber of it; he was the only man.
Q. How many ~mbers did you have?
A. Just the one.
Q. No, how many mrrbers, tota3 members?
A. C91, I would say an attendance of ten, maybe twelve, sc
1et;irres maybe