Lynda Irene Goodsell Blake (October 22, 1906 – February 9, 1989) was an American Christian missionary and educator, who taught at Turkish schools, including posts in Erenköy,

Merzifon Merzifon ( hy, Մարզուան, Marzvan, Middle Persian: ; grc, Μερσυφὼν, Mersyphòn, el, Μερζιφούντα, Merzifounta) is a town and district in Amasya Province in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. It covers an area of , ...

, and Izmir. She was principal at the

American Collegiate Institute Founded in 1878, the American Collegiate Institute ( tr, Özel İzmir Amerikan Koleji), referred to by the acronym ACI, is a private co-educational high school in Goztepe, İzmir, Turkey. ACI was founded, and is now run, by the charity foundation ...

from 1948 to 1971.

Early life and education

Lynda Goodsell was born in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

, the daughter of Fred Field Goodsell and Lulu (Lou) Service Goodsell; her parents were missionaries in Turkey, except during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when she lived in the United States. She attended the

American College for Girls The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a highly selective, independent, co-educational high school in Turkey.The Turkish education system divides schools i ...

Arnavutköy Arnavutköy ( Albanian village; el, Μέγα Ρεύμα, Mega Revma) is a neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey renowned for its wooden Ottoman mansions and seafood restaurants, as well as for the campus of the prestigious Robert College with its h ...

in Istanbul from 1920 to 1923, and graduated from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1926. She earned a master's degree at the

Pacific School of Religion The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the schoo ...

in California in 1928. In the 1930s she took classes at the

Boston University School of Music The Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) at Boston University consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each school offers degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and grad ...

, and in 1955 she completed a master's degree in education at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Career

Blake followed in her parents' careers as a missionary teacher in Turkey, under the auspices of the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

. She and her husband taught at schools in Erenköy, Goztepe, and Merzifon. They taught at the American Collegiate Institute, a girls' school in Izmir, from 1939 until they retired from the mission field in 1971. She was principal of the school at Izmir from 1948 to 1971. She spoke to church groups in the United States when she was on leave in 1936, 1945, 1951, and 1958. Blake received an honorary doctorate from

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burling ...

in Nebraska in 1968. She chaired her Wellesley College class's 50th reunion preparations from 1974 to 1976.

Personal life

Lynda Goodsell married Rev. Everett Carll (Jack) Blake in 1927. They had three children together, John, Lincoln, and Jacklyn. Lynda Goodsell Blake died from cancer in 1989, at the age of 82, in

Auburndale, Massachusetts Auburndale is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95. It is bisected by the Massachus ...

. The Blake and Goodsell Family Papers are in the collection of the Congregational Library and Archives in Boston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Lynda Goodsell 1906 births 1989 deaths American expatriates in Turkey Wellesley College alumni American missionaries Robert College alumni Pacific School of Religion alumni Boston University alumni