18TH-19TH CENTURY

Dr. S. Marsh Tenney (1922-2000) was an accomplished physician, research scientist and educator who reorganized and revitalized Dartmouth Medical School. His fascination with China began in his youth, as his mother owned a collection of “treasures from the Orient” that his grandfather, Stephen Marsh, Iowa's state attorney, received when he defended pro bono Chinese immigrants, who at the time faced discrimination and harassment. At Dartmouth Dr. Tenney furthered his interest and was the only student in the Introductory Chinese class. When it came time to fulfill his military obligations, Dr. Tenney was posted to China and served as the chief medical officer for the Navy from 1947-1949. Joined in Shanghai by his young wife Carolyn, who worked as a nurse in a clinic, Dr. Tenney continued to study Chinese, as well as calligraphy.