Lydia B. Stokes

Lydia B. Stokes
Lydia Pratt Babbott (later Stokes), from the 1917 yearbook of Vassar College
Born
Lydia Pratt Babbott

June 3, 1895
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 1988 (aged 93)
Medford, New Jersey, U.S.
FatherFrank Lusk Babbott
RelativesCharles Pratt (grandfather)
Charles Millard Pratt (uncle)

Lydia Pratt Babbott Stokes (June 3, 1895 – July 14, 1988) was an American philanthropist based in Moorestown, New Jersey. The Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, which she founded in 1959, is a nonprofit organization supporting environmental, peace, and nutrition projects.

Early life and education

Lydia Pratt Babbott was born in Glen Cove, New York, the daughter of Frank Lusk Babbott and Lydia Richardson Pratt Babbott.[1] Her mother's family was prominent in the petroleum industry, including her maternal grandfather, Charles Pratt and her uncle, Charles Millard Pratt. Her family founded Pratt Institute. Her father was a businessman active in the arts and educational institutions.[2]

Babbott attended Packer Collegiate Institute while her father was the president of the school,[2] and graduated from Vassar College in 1917; her mother and both of her sisters also attended Vassar.[3][4]

Clubwork and philanthropy

Stokes was active in women's clubwork in Moorestown, New Jersey. She won awards in the Moorestown Women's Club flower shows,[5] and was founder and president of the township's Visiting Nurse Association.[6] She held the women's golf championship at Moorestown Field Club in the 1930s.[7][8] In her late years she was involved in Church Women United and a delegate to the World Council of Churches.[9]

In 1922, Stokes donated a residential annex, large enough to accommodate 100 guests, to the Brooklyn YWCA.[10] She and her siblings created a student aid fund at Amherst College as a memorial to their mother in 1925.[11] In 1959 she founded the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, to support women's health, peace, and environmental conservation projects. Stokes was a major supporter of the Moorestown Friends School, providing scholarships and building funds; in 1986, she performed the ceremonial groundbreaking for a new hall at the school.[12][13] She also donated a Philadelphia clinic to Planned Parenthood, a dormitory to Goddard College, a laboratory to Haverford College,[14] and a small hospital to Mount Holly. "I guess you can't take it with you, so you might as well share it," she told an interviewer in 1986. "It's more fun to give it away now."[15]

Stokes was named "Philanthropist of the Year" by the National Society of Fundraising Executives in 1986.[15]

Personal life

Babbott married Quaker pediatrician and New Jersey legislator Samuel Emlen Stokes in 1920.[16][17] They had children Samuel, Lydia, Sarah, and Ann,[18] born between 1922 and 1931; all four graduated from Moorestown Friends School.[13] Her husband died in 1972.[19] She sold their home in Moorestown, Broadacres Mansion, in 1979, and moved into a smaller residence after her husband's death.[20] She died in 1988, at the age of 93, in Medford, New Jersey.[9] The Lydia B. Stokes Foundation still exists as of 2025, funding community farms and food assistance programs.[21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ "Babbott Estate Over 4 Million". Brooklyn Eagle. 1934-12-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Frank L. Babbott, Noted Educator, Dies of Pneumonia". Times Union. 1933-12-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Vassar College (1926). "Vassar Funds in Trust". Bulletin. p. 94.
  4. ^ Vassar College (1913). Annual Catalogue... Vassar College. pp. 91–92.
  5. ^ "Mrs. S. Emlen Stokes Tops Award List at Flower Show of Moorestown Club Women". Courier-Post. 1936-03-17. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mrs. Emlen Stokes to Participate in Washington Meet". Courier-Post. 1938-12-14. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mrs. Johnson Elected for Field Club Golf". Evening Courier. 1937-10-13. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Gaffney, Bill (1938-06-24). "Moorestown Course Rates as Oldest in Burlington County". Courier-Post. p. 33. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Lydia B. Stokes, 93, active in community". Courier-Post. 1988-07-17. p. 102. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Junior League Annex to Harriet Judson Dedicated". Brooklyn Life. 1922-03-04. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Amherst College Given Dormitory". The Springfield Daily Republican. 1925-04-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "At the Topping-Off". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1986-10-15. p. 107. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Carvajal, Doreen (1986-04-16). "For young, a generosity that spans generations". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 133. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Haverford Dedicates Stokes Hall". Courier-Post. 1963-11-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b Carvajal, Doreen (1986-04-23). "A lifetime spent in helping others". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. 116, 117. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Miss Lydia P. Babbott to Wed Dr. S. E. Stokes Oct. 7". Brooklyn Eagle. 1920-09-22. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Dr. Emlen Stokes Dead at Age 78, Former Legislator". Courier-Post. 1972-10-10. p. 31. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Kelley, Martin (2017-06-01). "Ann Richardson Stokes". Friends Journal. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  19. ^ "DR. S. Emlen Stokes". The New York Times. 1972-10-10. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  20. ^ Briggs, John G. (1979-09-30). "Broadacres sold; will be preserved". Courier-Post. p. 103. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Reflections of a Donor". The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  22. ^ Davis, Richie (2009-11-19). "Grants plant seeds for farms to grow". The Recorder. pp. c1. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Mangiaratti, Gena (2015-07-17). "New SNAP program benefits at Valley farmers' markets". Daily Hampshire Gazette. pp. b1. Retrieved 2025-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
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