Biographical Note: Mollie Schoenberg was the BPSI Administrative Director from 1959 to 1982. She was born in Montreal to a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. They moved to Vermont, where she attended University of Vermont pursuing classical studies, editing the school paper, leading the French Club, and performing plays at the Greek Society. Proficient in French, Latin, and German, she had prepared for a career in teaching, but when she graduated in 1929, the country was in the depth of Great Depression. She accepted a position of a secretary of Dr. Abraham Myerson, a well-known neurologist, psychiatrist, and public figure in Boston. What meant to be a temporary job proved so fascinating that she worked with Dr. Myerson for over 20 year, keeping shorthand notes during his many teaching rounds, and typing and editing many of his famous books. In 1959 she was invited to take the administrative position at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, where she stayed until her retirement in 1982. She is fondly remembered at the Institute for her role in establishing the order and efficiency, and her deep knowledge and appreciation of the BPSI history.

Summary: the collection comprises two boxes of newspaper clippings and biographies of Grete Bibring, Elvin Semrad, and Helen Tartakoff, as well as Schoenberg’s biography written by Sanford Gifford. BPSI Audio Archive holds a series of interviews with Molly Schoenberg recorded in 1982 and 1983 (see Audiovisual Materials, audio cassettes 457-461). Additional correspondence could be found in the Related BPSI Collections listed below.

Finding Aid for this collection is available here (viewing it requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).


Related BPSI Collections
Assorted Correspondence, 1872-1996
Audiovisual Materials
BPSI Historic Files

Related Sites
The Face of Experience: Ralph Kahana
The Nervous Housewife by Abraham Myerson (free e-book from Project Gutenberg)