Martha Thomas, born in Saint Pierre et Miquelon, French territory, arrived at Mount Holyoke in 1941 to start a master’s program, malnourished, and very worried about her finances and visa, which could affect her ability to contact her family. They no longer lived in their country of citizenship, France, which was at the time under Nazi occupation. They instead lived in Algeria, where Thomas’ parents both worked as doctors. The College helped her to board with Julia M. Bartlett, class of 1902, and gave her five meals a week at ‘Le Foyer’, the French house on campus, where she also worked. She was a student in the French department and also taught two classes. At the end of her first year at Mount Holyoke, Thomas went on a trip to California, intending to later return for items she left behind at Bartlett’s house. Over the next year, Mount Holyoke received mail from three of the institutions she worked at, her uncle, and her mother, trying to find her location. Although her location after leaving the College is unknown, she died in France at the age of 90.
