Mortensen, Esther Tappert.

Esther Tappert, at age 30, went to China in 1929 to teach English at Ginling College in Nanking. She returned to the United States three years later to work on an M.A. in Education at Yale. After receiving her degree, she returned to Ginling to continue her teaching from 1933-1937. From 1937-1939, she taught English at Chungking University, a Chinese government university. She returned to the U.S. in 1940 and became engaged to Ralph Mortensen, a widowed Lutheran missionary who was working for the American Bible Society in China. After completing her doctorate at Yale, she sailed for Shanghai in November, 1945. She married Ralph Mortensen in January, 1946 and her primary role for the next several years was that of missionary wife. Following the Communist takeover, the Mortensens were held in Shanghai until January, 1953 because of suspicion regarding Ralph Mortensen's activities.