Saidie Orr Dunbar

Saidie Orr Dunbar (June 23, 1880 – May 13, 1960) was a leading figure in the improvement of public health in Oregon in the early twentieth century. She was very active in social service work and is considered the "founder of public nursing in Oregon".

Early life Saidie Orr was born in Granger, Missouri, on June 23, 1880, the daughter of Robert Perry Orr and Catherine Lindsay.

She was involved in the American way movements, which became popular during World War II. She believed that members of women's clubs "should make some contribution toward the safety, the permanence and the enrichment of our American way of life, which will carry us through the dark days ahead and add to the solidarity of our national life".

She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Parent-Teacher Association, the P.E.O. Sisterhood, the Portland Woman's Club, and the Tuesday Afternoon Club.

She died on May 13, 1960, in Portland, Oregon.

Legacy In 1956, a scholarship was created by associations affiliated with Dunbar, and the scholarship was named after her. The scholarship is awarded to students in Oregon that are enrolled in medicine or nursing studies, and it is granted based on the promise that the students will work in Oregon after their graduation.

The Saidie Orr Dunbar diaries, 1923–1958, are preserved in the Special Collections and University Archives of the University of Oregon.