photo provided by the Summit County Historical Society of Akron, OH
Mary Perkins Raymond: far right
Mary Perkins Raymond, 1871-1948
Why She’s Notable: The Perkins name is one of the area’s most impactful, as the family helped found Akron and Summit County. Perkins Raymond’s father was instrumental in bringing B.F. Goodrich Co. to Akron and became its second president, and her husband was its vice board chairperson. But not as many know that Perkins Raymond, along with her mother, father and other members of the Kings Daughters of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, helped start Akron’s first day care, Mary Day Nursery. It expanded into a kindergarten and medical ward — eventually becoming Akron Children’s Hospital.
Her Local Impact: Perkins Raymond inherited the massive Perkins Hill estate where Summit Historical now stands and was an Akron Woman’s City Club member. She not only personally cared for children but also organized charity balls and donated money to support Mary Day Nursery and its expansion into Akron Children’s. “She had money and clout. They had politics and industry, but really, she was interested in ... making sure children have a foundation to grow upon,” says Leianne Neff Heppner. And Akron Children’s has grown into a leading regional hospital that helps many children. “You needed someone like her to make sure there was solid ground for it to grow to what it has become.”
Her Legacy: Mary Day Nursery was launched during the industrial revolution, so it helped relieve pressure when some women were beginning to work, and child care emerged as an issue — and remains one. “It’s still so pertinent in today’s society — that discussion of women in the workplace and children in their care,” Heppner says. “She was really ahead of her time.”
