Editor's Page

Abstract

Editor's Page Stephanie M. Lang The work of Kentuckians during the Depression era and World War II provide the common theme in this Register issue. From the role of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in eastern Kentucky to Jewish refugee scholars at the University of Louisville, the articles illustrate how residents responded to various state and international issues on the local level—providing healthcare in rural/underserved areas and resettling refugees displaced by war and violence. However, the articles delve deeper into the historical narrative and reveal a complex push-and-pull between philanthropic and practical incentives for the FNS and the University of Louisville. The history of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) and its founder, Mary Breckinridge, is a recognizable story in Kentucky and the impressive healthcare outcomes of the "angels on horseback" are well-documented. Anne Z. Cockerham and Janet L. Engstrom, however, show there is more to the traditional account. The article analyzes the type of data collected by FNS nurses, the dissemination of this information by Breckinridge for donor development, and the impact of the work on the residents the FNS served. The push to document positive clinical outcomes in order to replicate the FNS in other areas, which ultimately did not happen, requires a deeper look—particularly regarding why and what Breckinridge chose to record, which was influenced by her race, class biases, and eugenic principles. David L. Baker's article focuses on Raymond A. Kent's efforts to employ Jewish refugee scholars fleeing Nazi persecution. Kent became president of the University of Louisville in 1929 and sought to rehabilitate the reputation of the university. An early participant in the [End Page 543] rescue effort initiated by the Emergency Committee for Displaced German Scholars, Kent and the university hired five Jewish professors for positions in music, art, psychology, and mathematics. Woven into the article is the role of the local community who also provided important funding support and opportunities for the refugees and their families. As Baker notes, Kent was both humanitarian and pragmatic—employment of these scholars allowed him to strengthen the national reputation of the University of Louisville. By digging into the historical narrative, the articles provide insight on the varying motivations of humanitarian work in Kentucky during the first half of the twentieth century. Although portions of the research add a complicated layer, particularly the reasoning underlying the data collected and used by Breckinridge, the articles illustrate the importance of examining new angles of familiar topics. [End Page 544] Copyright © 2020 Kentucky Historical Society