H88-0045. Durfee, Winifred Hackley (1861-1950). Papers, 1796-1963. 0.25 linear ft.

Winifred Hackley Durfee was born in Belleville, New York, on April 12, 1861, to Mills A. and Sarah Stacey Hackley. She did not attend public school until the age of 12 due to ill health, with her early education being administered at home and in "dame" schools. She graduated from Union Academy in Belleville in 1879 and went on Oberlin College, entering as a sophomore due to her "high standard of work." She would go on to study at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, where she would receive her master’s degree. She then taught in Henderson, North Carolina, and Williamsburg, Kentucky, and Phelps, New York, before marrying Abner M. Durfee, Jr., also a member of Union Academy class of 1879, on September 21, 1892. Abner M. Durfee passed away in 1901, after just 9 years of marriage to Winifred. The couple had no children, and she did not remarry. Winifred taught at Union Academy from 1898-1903 before moving on to Glens Falls Academy, Keuka College, and Heading College. She began as dean of women at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, on September 11, 1909. She would remain in this position for 27 years, also serving as head of the French and drama departments at Hope.

Winifred Durfee retired from Hope College in 1936. After her retirement, she returned to Belleville, New York, and took up residence in the house her father built and in which she had been born. A niece, Florence L. Kennedy, also lived with her during this time. Following an illness in 1946, Winifred’s health declined sharply until she died at home on October 24, 1950, at the age of 89. Her death was said to be caused by "the infirmities of old age."