May Baird
Lady Matilda (May) Deans Baird CBE (née Tennent, 14 May 1901− 16 August 1983) was a Scottish doctor and social pioneer. She was a town councillor in Aberdeen and was the first woman to hold the position of Chair of a regional hospital board.
Early life
Baird was born in Larkhall on 14 May 1901.[1] She was educated at a local school before going on to the Glasgow High School for Girls. She studied science and medicine at the University of Glasgow, graduating with a BSc in 1922 and an MB ChB in 1924.[2]
Career
After leaving university she worked as a junior doctor in Glasgow hospitals. In 1928 she married Dugald Baird, the gynaecologist and obstetrician.[2] She and her husband moved to Aberdeen in 1936. Her desire to reduce the hardships experienced by the poor and neglected led her being drawn into public life.[3] In 1938 she was elected as a Labour Party councillor for Aberdeen Town Council. From 1938 to 1954 she was Chair of the Council's Public Health Committee.[4][5]
In 1947, she was appointed as the first female Chair of the North Eastern Regional Hospital Board, with which she served until 1960.[6]
In 1951, she was announced as a member of a Royal Commission to look at marriage and divorce law.[5]
She was a National Governor of the BBC from 1965−1971.[7][8]
She was a member of the Maternity Services Review Committee of the Department of Health.[4]
Family
She had two daughters and two sons. Her daughter Joyce Baird worked as a doctor specialising in diabetes at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.[9] Her son, Professor David Tennent Baird is Emeritus, and Senior Professorial Research Fellow at MRC Centre for Reproductive Health and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Edinburgh.[1][4][10]
Baird died on 16 August 1983.[1]
Awards and honours
In 1960, Baird received an honorary LLD from the University of Aberdeen.[3]
She received Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1962.[11]
In 1966, she and her husband were both awarded Freedom of the City of Aberdeen. An Aberdeen street was named in her honour. She and her husband are commemorated by a plaque at 38 Albyn Place.[12]
The Baird Family Hospital due to open in Aberdeen in 2020 is named for her, her husband, their daughter Joyce and son David, in recognition of the medical contributions they have made in Scotland and to the profession. The hospital will offer maternity, gynaecology, breast screening and breast surgery services, as well as a neonatal unit, a centre for reproductive medicine, an operating theatre suite and teaching facilities.[13]
References
- 1 2 3 "Obituaries: Lady May Baird". BMJ. 287 (6396): 918–919. 24 September 1983. doi:10.1136/bmj.287.6396.918. PMC 1549257
. - 1 2 "University of Glasgow Story: People: Lady May Baird". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- 1 2 "The Honorary Graduands". Glasgow Herald. 9 July 1960. p. 13. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Who's Who". www.ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- 1 2 "Seven Scots on divorce law inquiry. Glasgow and Aberdeen Women Councillors". Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ↑ "Heritage: People : Lady May Baird (1901-1983)". Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "BBC Governor for Scotland". Glasgow Herald. 30 November 1965. p. 8. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ↑ "Full List of Boards of Governors of the BBC" (PDF). BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Obitiuary: Joyce Baird, Doctor, 85". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ↑ "Who's Who". www.ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ↑ "Supplement 42683". The London Gazette. 25 May 1962. p. 4316. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Commemorative Plaques Record Details: Lady May Baird (1901 - 1983)". Aberdeen City Council. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ http://www.nhsgrampian.co.uk/nhsgrampian/InvolvingYou.jsp;jsessionid=2241BE2BB445296BF5693FFC9C7B536A?pContentID=9346&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&