Mary Ada Ross

Dr. Mary Ada Ross-Gillespie

Mary Ada Ross (later Gillespie) (1894-1987) was born in Calhoun County, Iowa  on July 18, 1894 to John Franklin Ross and Mary Hay (Stotler) Ross. She graduated from Lake City High School in 1915. She was briefly a teacher in small rural schools before enrolling in the University of Iowa. She graduated from the University of Iowa School of Medicine July 1, 1922. According to the University of Iowa, Department of Anesthesia's history page, she was the first resident to graduate in the first formal residency training program to be instituted in an American university. Her certificate was dated June 5, 1923.

After her graduation she remained at the University of Iowa as an assistant and associate of Dr. Louis G. Harding. Her obituary described her as an pioneer in the field of anesthesiology. She worked in hospitals in Chicago, Philadelphia and Tulsa, but spent most of her career at Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA. She retired in 1965.

At the age of 47, Mary was married to Ward Gillespie on August 31, 1941 in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada until he died in 1978. She died January 6, 1987 at St. Luke's Hospital, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona and was buried January 10, 1987 at Lake Creek Cemetery, Lake Creek Township, Calhoun County, Iowa. There were no surviving children listed in her obituary, but she had at least one step-daughter and step-grandchildren.

The connection to the Brassfield surname is that Mary Ross's sister Clara (Ross) Fowlie is connected to Floyd Gipson Brassfield by the marriage of her daughter to Elvis John Brassfield. Mary Ada (Ross) Gillespie was my great grand aunt. I scanned this photo from my Grandmother's collection. As with most of the photos on this blog, it is not public domain. Please do not reuse without permission.