The Munroe-Meyer Institute today stands on the shoulders of giants who formed the foundations of the institute across generations. MMI Time Capsule is a periodic feature to recognize that history.
Harriett “Hattie” Francis Baker was born to a prominent family from Kansas City and married railroad executive John A. Munroe in 1888.
Hattie B. Munroe was known to anonymously cover hospital bills for families who could not afford the bill.
She herself was disabled early in life by what was thought to be a stroke. She died April 30, 1921.
In 1922, John Munroe and Hattie B. Munroe’s personal assistant, Clara Elder, gifted memorial money to purchase a house in Benson, furnishings and a cow and 10 chickens to assure there would always be fresh milk and eggs.
It was known as the Hattie B. Munroe Home for Convalescent Crippled Children.
Today, the Hattie B. Munroe Foundation, in partnership with the Hattie B. Munroe Pavilion, supports programs and services developed and administered by the Munroe-Meyer Institute that provide diagnosis, treatment and support services to children and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families.
From “A Century of Caring: The History of the Munroe-Meyer Institute.”