Ethel Clay Price (October 2, 1874 – October 26, 1943) was an American nurse and socialite. She was the first graduate from Watts Hospital Training School for Nurses in Durham, obtaining her nursing degree in 1897. She was married to insurance executive Julian Price and was the mother-in-law of the businessman Joseph M. Bryan. Price lived at Hillside, a large mansion she and her husband had built in Greensboro, North Carolina. A devout Catholic, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Greensboro was built as a memorial to her. A scholarship at the Watts Nursing School and a scholarship at Notre Dame of Maryland University are named after her.
Ethel Clay Price | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ethel Clay October 2, 1874 New York City, New York U.S. |
| Died | October 26, 1943 |
| Resting place | Green Hill Cemetery |
| Education | Notre Dame Academy Watts Hospital Training School for Nurses |
| Occupation(s) | nurse, socialite, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Julian Price |
| Children | 2 (including Kathleen Price Bryan) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Joseph M. Bryan (son-in-law) Nancy Bryan Faircloth (granddaughter) |
Biography
editPrice was born in New York City on October 2, 1874, to Colonel Henry de Boisfeuillet Clay, a U.S. Infantry officer and Civil War veteran, and Harriet Field.[1] A convert to the Catholic faith, Price was an ardent devotee to the Blessed Virgin Mary.[2][3]
She studied at Notre Dame Academy in Baltimore before moving to Durham, North Carolina to attend Watts Hospital Training School for Nurses.[2] She was the school's first graduate in 1897 and worked as a nurse at Watts Hospital.[4][5]
On August 22, 1897, she married insurance businessman Julian Price at Mechum River Farm in Virginia.[6][7] They had two children, Kathleen Marshall Clay and Ralph Clay.[6][8] Her daughter, Kathleen, married businessman Joseph M. Bryan. Price and her husband built Hillside, a large mansion in Fisher Park.[9][10] Although her husband was Baptist, Price remained a devout Catholic. In the 1930s, she would host Fr. Vincent Taylor, a visiting priest from Belmont Abbey who celebrated mass at St. Benedict Catholic Church, and had him at Hillside for dinner along with her husband's two Catholic secretaries.[2]
Death and legacy
editPrice died in Greensboro on October 26, 1943.[11] After her death, her husband provided the funding for the construction of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church as a memorial to her in honor of her Catholic faith.[6][12] Her children contributed an additional gift of $300,000 for the construction of the church.[6] The church, completed in 1952, is also called the Mrs. Julian Price Memorial.[2][13]
In 1964, the Ethel Clay Price Scholarship was created at the Watts School of Nursing.[5] In 1982, her son endowed the Ethel Clay Price Scholarship for Continuing Education at Notre Dame of Maryland University.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Full text of "A History and Genealogy of the Habersham Family"". archive.org. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ a b c d "Parish History | Our Lady of Grace Church". Archived from the original on 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
- ^ "Our Lady of Grace organ, music director to be featured in acclaimed concert series". catholicnewsherald.com. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "History of the Watts School of Nursing". Duke University Health System. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b "Scholarship". Watts School of Nursing. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ a b c d "Price, Julian". NCpedia. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "PRICE, Julian," The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume XXXIV (New York: James T. White & Company, 1948) page 430
- ^ "Price v. Price :: 1971 :: North Carolina Court of Appeals Decisions :: North Carolina Case Law :: North Carolina Law :: US Law :: Justia". law.justia.com. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "New owners transform Greensboro's famous 'Hillside' home featured on TV show". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "Sutori". sutori.com. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ Powell, W.S. (2000). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Vol. 5, P-S. University of North Carolina Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780807867006. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "Bicentennial Minutes July–September | Greensboro Library, NC". library.greensboro-nc.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "Our Lady of Grace honors its past, looks to the future". catholicnewsherald.com. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
- ^ "NDMU Endowed Scholarships: NDMU Catalog". catalog.ndm.edu. Retrieved 2022-10-18.