Gaddis, Bertha Kate
Dates
- Existence: 1878 - June 6, 1947 - 1947-06-06
Biographical Information
Bertha Kate Gaddis was a lifelong teacher and taught in the Lafayette area for fifty years.
Bertha Kate Gaddis was born in Rossville, Indiana to William and Margaret (Reed) Gaddis in 1878, the second of four children, Mamie, John Clyde, and Lella. Their family moved from their farm in Rossville to the Lafayette area after their last child, Lella, was born.
Kate dedicated her life to teaching and taught at schools in Lafayette for fifty years. She started her career as a teacher in 1888, first serving at Columbian School and later Washington School in Lafayette.
Kate remained unmarried and lived with her younger sister and home demonstration agent, Lella Gaddis, in West Lafayette, Indiana, where they frequently hosted boarders, including many Purdue students, and important persons through Lella’s connections with Purdue University.
Kate continued her career as a teacher until her retirement in June 1939. Due to numerous health issues, Kate lived the latter part of her life in a wheelchair. She died on June 6, 1947.
Citation:
Bertha Kate Gaddis diaries collection file. Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries. West Lafayette, IN.Citation:
Klink, A. (2011). Divided Paths, Common Ground. Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, IN.Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Bertha Kate Gaddis diaries
Includes 18 diaries written by Bertha Kate Gaddis, a long-term teacher in the Lafayette area and sister to Lella Gaddis, Indiana's first state leader of Home Demonstration. The diaries contain detailed accounts of Kate and Lella's lives, interactions, and activities of important persons at Purdue University, and events and the changing landscape in both Lafayette and the United States. Also includes the shoebox where the diaries were kept.