Call Number:

MC 189

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing

Extent:

0.8 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Archie J. and Mary S. Hanlan papers, Barbara Bates Center for The Study of The History of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1972-1979 (bulk) and 1966-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

Hanlan, Archie J., 1924-1973 and Hanlan, Mary S., 1928-

Form:

Faculty papers and Letters (correspondence)

Abstract:

Archie and Mary Hanlan are known for their writings, educational efforts, and research on thanatology. Archie Hanlan lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for two years before his death in 1973. During his illness, he wrote and taught about the experience of death and caring for the dying. This collection contains papers related to the Hanlans' publications.

Archie Hanlan (1924-1973) was a social worker and an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. Hanlan graduated in 1949 from the University of California, Berkeley, and with his wife Mary joined the American Friends Service Committee as a co-director of various workcamps in Mexico. The Hanlans returned to the States after a year, and Archie Hanlan began a career in social work. He returned to school and eventually graduated from the first class of UC-Berkeley’s doctoral program in social work in 1967. After three years at Washington University, he was offered a position with the University of Pennsylvania. Hanlan was to lead an interdepartmental team in developing the United States’ first doctoral program in the administration of human services, but in 1971 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. In 1973 he anonymously published an article entitled "Notes of a Dying Professor" in the University of Pennsylvania’s alumni magazine, the Pennsylvania Gazette, detailing his experiences as a hospital patient. The article had a significant impact, provoking a large reader response and further articles from Hanlan. During his illness he also participated in several seminars on the topic of dying. Hanlan continued writing about living with ALS until his death later in 1973. His book, "Autobiography of Dying," was published posthumously in 1979.

Mary Hanlan was born in 1928. She graduated in 1950 from the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1966 received her M.S.W. from the same school. Her career focused on family therapy and child welfare. She obtained the copyright to her husband’s works after his death, and in 1978 published her own experiences in an article for the Pennsylvania Gazette, “Living With a Dying Husband.” Mary Hanlan has authored several papers on thanatology and women in social work. She has also been very involved in various community mental health organizations in the Philadelphia area, including the Philadelphia Coalition of Community Mental Health and Mental Retardation Centers, Intercommunity Action, and the West Philadelphia Community Mental Health Consortium.

This collection includes manuscript drafts, published articles, correspondence, and notes. Also included are audio tapes, which consist of Archie Hanlan’s original dictation about his experiences. Most of the materials are related to the publications of the Hanlans’ writings, with the bulk of the collection dated between 1971 and 1979.