Educator, medical missionary, psychologist.
Born at Winnipeg on 23 June 1898, daughter of Robert Jefferson and Sara Gatley (1868-1957), she graduated from the University of Manitoba with a BA degree. In 1921, she began teaching school and was the Principal of Hazelridge School (1923-1926). She left teaching in 1927 to to render service to people in Asia, and enrolled in the Manitoba Medical College. After completing a medical degree (1933), she departed for Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India where she worked at the Christian Medical College (CMC). In 1938, she returned briefly to Canada before sailing to England to attend the University of Manchester. She graduated with a Masters of Psychology (1940) and worked for two years at the University of Liverpool before returning to Vellore. She founded a Psychology Department at the CMC and served as its Department Head (1942-1957). In May 1958, she returned to England for a time before coming home to Winnipeg. She died, unmarried, at Winnipeg on 28 January 1986 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.
Birth registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Grades IX, X exam results are announced [Grade X - Teachers’ Course],” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 August 1921, page 5.
“University notes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 January 1929, page 11.
“Graduating co-eds are Faculty Women“s guests at farewell luncheon,,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1933, page 8.
“Degrees, prizes to be awarded at convocation [Doctor of Medicine],” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 May 1933, page 4.
“Dr. D. M. Jefferson arrived home...” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 May 1938, page 14.
“[Photo; Dr. D. M. Jefferson],” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 May 1938, page 14.
“Dr. Dorothy Jefferson tells of work in Vellore College,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 June 1939, page 12.
“Student’s challenge sends woman to serve 22 years as Doctor - Teoacher in India,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 June 1949, page 16.
“Club events [St. Stephen’s Broadway United Church...],,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 October 1949, page 15.
“Dr. Dorothy Jefferson speaks on women of India,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 January 1950, page 10.
“Vellore Hospital at top returned missionary tells,,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 April 1951, page 14.
“Back home after 25 years in India,” by Mary Bletcher, Winnipeg Free Press, 12 July 1957, page 14.
Obituary [Mrs. Sara Jefferson], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 July 1957, page 9.
“[Mr. and Mrs. George R. Gobert ...],” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 February 1958, page 18.
“[Dr. Dorothy Jefferson sailed ...],” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 May 1958, page 15.
Winnipeg estate file PR86-01-04760, Dorothy M. Jefferson, Archives of Manitoba.
Obituary [Nora Jean Anderson], Winnipeg Free Press, 11 February 1989, page 41.
Elmwood Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
Gobert family tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 18 November 2022
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