Gladys Brooks Thayer

Gladys Brooks Thayer, under whose will the Gladys Brooks Foundation was created, died on May 1, 1976 at the age of 94. Mrs. Thayer was born in New York City and spent most of her early life in Newport, Rhode Island.

Mrs. Thayer was an avid collector of antique furniture, china glass, prints and other artifacts. As the years went on, Mrs. Thayer realized the importance of giving these collections to museums and other institutions, which would maintain them. As a result of the tragic death of her son, she became interested in the welfare of boys, particularly underprivileged boys.

Mrs. Thayer's charitable interests were varied. In the late 1940's, she gave an antique crystal chandelier to the White House, which has been installed in the Red Room. In 1960, she donated the Captain Jonathan Parker House in Osterville, Massachusetts to the Osterville Historical Society. In 1968, Mrs. Thayer contributed her home and furnishings in Aiken, South Carolina to Saint Thaddeus Church in Aiken. Her interest in the welfare of underprivileged boys was evidenced by her establishment of a scholarship fund at the Sterling School in Craftsbury Common, Vermont for boys in need of fiscal assistance. Mrs. Thayer contributed a fine collection of Audubon prints to the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut and made frequent contributions to it. She was a regular contributor to Boys' Town and the Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund. She endowed a room at the Cape Cod Hospital and made frequent contributions to it.