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Helen C. Bragdon Papers, 1937-1993Finding AidEncoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.© 2005
Biographical NoteHelen Bragdon and Caroline Fisher Rathbone on the set of "Present Laughter," Fish Creek, Wis., 1953Helen "Casey" Cushman Bragdon was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She studied drama at Smith College and graduated in l933. She was an actor in summer stock in Wisconsin, coached drama, and joined the Actor's Workshop in New York City. In 1943, Bragdon joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACS). She was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, and was in the first contingent of WAACS sent to the Southwest Pacific in 1944. Returning to New York after the war, Helen Bragdon continued her work in summer stock, wrote plays ("Almost Crazy," l955) and lyrics, and contributed in various ways to musicals off and on Broadway. In the late l960s, she moved with her mother from Connecticut to North Carolina, where she was active in summer theater for a number of years. She died in Arden, North Carolina, 6 January 1998. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Contents of the CollectionThe Helen Bragdon Papers include letters to her family in Larchmont (NY) providing a detailed account of the day-to-day routine of a WAAC detachment, with particular emphasis on social activities. She wrote regularly from her basic training in Florida through her stateside service in Texas and Georgia, and her overseas tours of duty in Australia, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, and the Phillipines. The letters are supplemented by several photographs and a small selection of newsletters from Fort Bliss and overseas. Additional material includes correspondence, clippings, photographs, and programs related to her theater activities, circa 1930s-90s NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy. Return to the Table of Contents Search TermsReturn to the Table of Contents |
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