The Unlikely Journey of 20th Century
Healthcare Advocate Kate Macy Ladd

By Meryl Carmel

While the Gilded Age is dominated by figures such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Vanderbilt, their wives and daughters often lived behind closed curtains, staying well out of public view everywhere but the society pages.

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Standard Oil heiress Kate Macy Ladd seems, on the surface, to have followed in this tradition. But a deeper look at her life reveals a woman who was fiercely committed to the welfare of ordinary people, and who ultimately became a medical philanthropist with her creation of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. This organization is well-known today for its commitment to improving the education of healthcare professionals.

Spanning two centuries and based on her bare-bones memoir as well as family diaries, letters, and reminiscences, Finding Kate: The Unlikely Journey of 20th Century Healthcare Advocate Kate Macy Ladd reveals one woman’s life of faith, charity and resilience.

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