Evening star., 1942-09-27
Oldest Graduate of Goucher
Returns to Capital to Live
Mrs. Chase Palmer,
Nearly 81, Recalls
Earlier College Era
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Mrs. Chase Palmer, the Oldest hv-
ing graduate of Goucher College, is
now making her home at 1882 Mass
achusetts avenue NV, after an alb
sence of several years on the West
Coast.
Nearly 80 years old. she is also one
of the oldest living members of the
Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She
is the widow of DR.. Edward Chase
Palmer. DR.. Palmer was one of
Woodrow Wilson'S classmates at
Princeton University and their
friendship endured throughout their
lives. An eminent research chemist,
DR.. Palmer was for many years con-
nected with the United States Geo.
logical Survey. during which time
the Palmers lived in Washington.
Mrs Palmer was member of the
Junior League here.
She has received recognition for
her translations from the French for
various publishing houses Her
translations included Daudet's Let
tiers To An Unknown" for Little
Brown and Co. and Tales and Let
ters of Prosper Meime," edited by
Prof George Saintsbury of Yale Un-
iversity, for the Frank S. Hobby Co.
Attitudes Have Changed.
"A woman going to college was a
much more serious matter when l
was young girl, than it is now
Mrs. Palmer commented. For one
thing, wholesale doubt still very gen.
orally persisted, as to whether the
feminine mind was really capable of
taking a higher education. Week
end diversions we're of course prac-
tically unknown, as was much Of the
pleasant informality of today 1t
was generally pressed upon us that
we must be extremely careful to i'm
press our professors with the earn
estness of our purpose at all times.
ON the other hand" she contin-
ued, when we were at home on va
cations, equally great care had to
be exercised. We might have been
socially ear-marked as blue stock
ings, doomed to an old maids lot be-
cause we were presumably more in
tent upon securing college diploma
than we were a marriage license"
'As to the matter of campus
styles" she commented, as she
pointed to a picture of herself as
graduate In cap and gown, our
academic robes are about the only
fashions that haven't changed,
Shorts and slacks were of course un-
heard of. But an inch Of ankle
archly displayed, 1 am very sure. at
tracted much more masculine atten-
tion than the most abbreviated swim
suit would today"
Christened BY Grandfather.
Although Mrs. Palmer was born
in Prince William County, Virginia,
her associations with Washington
began at an early age. She was
brought here as a baby to be chris
tened by her grandfather, the Rev.
DR.. Walthrop Edwards, at the time
when he was pastor of the Old
Foundry Methodist Church at Four
teenth and G streets NV
Her father, the Rev. William Som
erville Edwards, was also Method
ist clergyman. Mrs. Palmer is the
great-greatniece of William Clark
Somerville, a romantic figure of the
early 18th century, who from 1922 to
1928 was the fifth master of historic
Stratford, home of the Lees, which
he purchased from Maj. Henry Lee
in 1922. Officer, beau, diplomat and
continental traveller he died en-
route to a diplomatic mission to
Greece under President John Quincy
Adams and he is buried in the
grounds of Lafayettes chateau at
La Grange, France.
Mrs. Palmer's earliest Washington