Eugenia and Samuel Lambeth Papers

Eugenia and Samuel Lambeth on their wedding dayThe Medical Center Archives is happy to announce that the Eugenia and Samuel Lambeth Papers are processed and open for research. The collection documents the professional careers of wife and husband Eugenia and Samuel Lambeth, as well as also housing personal materials. Types of materials include correspondence, clippings, programs, certificates, diplomas, army records, reprints, travel souvenirs, x-rays, photographic materials, a scrapbook, artwork, memorabilia, and artifacts. Materials range in date from 1925 to 2000.Eugenia Lambeth's "Recipe for Making a Good Nurse"

Eugenia Lambeth received a degree in nursing from Duke University in 1939 and went on to become the head surgical nurse at Duke. During WWII she served in the U.S. Red Cross Home Service and as an instructor for the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corp. Until her death, Eugenia played an active role in the Duke School of Nursing Alumnae Association. Samuel Lambeth, MD, husband of Eugenia, became an assistant resident in medicine at Duke Medical School in 1939, where he specialized in gynecology and obstetrics. His postgraduate training, however, was interrupted by WWII, during which he served as captain of the Medical Corp in the U.S. Army with the 50th Field Hospital from 1942 to 1946. Following the war he completed his residency at Duke from 1946 to 1948.

Samuel Lambeth's WWII scrapbook

The collection should be of particular interest to anyone interested in WWII, the history of gynecology and obstetrics, and Duke University School of Nursing. The collection contains photographs and postcards documenting Samuel’s time in France during World War II. Among his artifacts and memorabilia are a 1940s microscope, WWII army pins, a WWII scrapbook, and a gynecological tool. An eclectic gem in the collection is a letter opener advertising the hormone replacement drug, Hormonin, which drug companies began to advertise in the 1960s. Researchers will also find memorabilia from Eugenia’s time training at Duke University School of Nursing and serving in the Red Cross home service during WWII, including the “Recipe for a Good Nurse” cut out and Red Cross pins. While much of the materials in the collection relate to World War II, researchers can find materials related to other important historical events in North Carolina, including “A crisis in conscience,” a program presented to the Greensboro Alumni Association detailing the unrest at Duke University following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

To learn more about these materials, visit the finding aid or contact the archives staff. 

This blog post was contributed by Archives Intern Caroline Waller.

Hormonin letter opener