Gardner, Elizabeth F. (Elizabeth Frances)

Elizabeth Fromme Gardner was a teacher in Alice, Texas, as well as executive secretary of the Texas Society for Mental Hygiene. Gardner also served as vice president of Tips Engine Works, as relief administrator for Travis County, and president of the national and Austin branches of the Altrusa Club, now Altrusa International, Inc.

Established in 1934, the Texas Society for Mental Hygiene sought to educate the public about mental health issues and illnesses. The organization changed its name to the Texas Society for Mental Health in 1950. As secretary of the Texas Society for Mental Hygiene in the 1940s and 1950s, Gardner corresponded with mental health hospitals, agencies, and foundations and kept meeting minute records. Other officers included Dr. Paul L. White, Dr. Evelyn M. Carrington, and James A. Allen.

Sources:

Creson, Dan L. Mental Health. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed December 10, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/smmun .

Gardner, Mrs. Elizabeth F. Vertical Files. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.