from Dorothy Morday Nassif
Dorothy Morday Nassif, a native of Salem, Massachusetts, was born on September 24th, 1916. She celebrated this one hundred year milestone achievement with a birthday party given by her family at The House of the Seven Gables.
It is very fitting that Dorothy and her family selected The House of the Seven Gables as the premier location for this event, as she was born in a house on Derby Street which once sat on what is now a parking lot for the historic Seven Gables. During her childhood, Dorothy and her siblings, William and Evelyn, attended a variety of classes at the Gables Settlement House.
Since Dorothy’s family lived on the corner of Turner and Derby streets, Dorothy would push her doll carriage on Turner Street to the Settlement House. Caroline Emmerton, the woman instrumental in reviving the Seven Gables and who formed the Settlement House to provide education and job skills for Salem’s immigrant population, was often seen by Dorothy, riding in her chauffeur-driven car down Turner Street wearing her signature large hat.
Throughout her long life, Dorothy has volunteered a great deal of her time at many local organizations, including the Settlement House as a friendly visitor to people who were unable to leave their homes. She also volunteered at the Women’s Friend Society, whose building had been given to the Society by Caroline Emmerton’s grandfather and which is named Emmerton House. She worked at the North Shore Children’s Hospital Gift Shop, was an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, and has been a devoted member and volunteer at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
Some historic moments she witnessed were: The Ticker Tape Parade for Charles Lindberg, Franklin Roosevelt campaigning in Salem, Eleanor Roosevelt speaking then taking a tractor ride and a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at a ball in Canada. More special memories are too numerous to mention.
To celebrate her 100th birthday, over fifty friends and family happily joined Dorothy at The House of the Seven Gables
