Esther Hodel Scholarship
Whether riding on horseback or delivering babies in chicken coops, Esther Smucker Hodel was one of the first women physicians in the Mennonite Church. The obstacles she overcame to attain her degree exemplified her strong spirit and will to serve God. Her lifetime commitment to the medical field continues to inspire others.
Esther Elizabeth was born on a farm near Tiskilwa, Illinois, on September 8, 1902. She was born into a family strong in Christian faith, yet independent in thought. Esther’s love and respect for the natural sciences undoubtedly developed through the family and agricultural setting in which she grew up.
As a young girl, stories of missionaries encouraged Esther to think about medicine. Her interest grew as she acquired an understanding of women in India who suffered from neglected health care. These stories deeply motivated her to become a physician, as she felt God called her to serve in India.
Although education was encouraged by the Smucker family, the social and financial conditions of early 20th century America were not sympathetic to Esther’s desire to become a physician. It was unusual for a woman to practice medicine, particularly one of the Mennonite faith. So Esther received a teaching certificate after high school and initiated a short career in a one-room schoolhouse, using her savings to finance a degree in higher education. She enrolled at Goshen College and graduated in 1925 with a major in physical science.
While at Goshen College she held leadership positions in the Young Peoples Christian Association, the Christian Worker’s Band and participated in Student Council, Record staff, Oratorical Association, Chemical Society, Philharmonic Chorus, Tennis Association, Mennonite Historical Society, Maple Leaf staff and Foreign Volunteer Band. The 1925 Maple Leaf describes Esther in this way, “Her friendly willingness to help, her deep appreciation of the out-of-doors, her depth of thought and character, her unselfish interests in the welfare of her fellow-students characterize this worthy member of the class of ’25.”
After graduation from Goshen College, Esther entered Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, one of the few institutions in the United States which trained women physicians at that time. Between her third and fourth years of training, she traveled on horseback for Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky to provide obstetrical care for the mountain women who did not have access to medical facilities. She received her M.D. Degree in 1931. Esther was deeply disappointed when her plans for foreign medical mission service could not be realized. She discovered that her year’s struggle against and recovery from tuberculosis had disqualified her.
Following medical internship, Esther worked temporarily for the state health department in Illinois and then set up private general practice in the rural community of Morton, Illinois. On November 4, 1934, she married John P. Hodel, a German Mennonite farmer who had immigrated to the United States. John consistently supported Esther in her busy medical practice, which continued successfully for forty years. They had three children, Paul E. Hodel, Ilse Hodel Yoder, Ernest F. Hodel, all of whom graduated from Goshen College.
Dr. Hodel treated anyone who came to her, regardless of their financial situation. Her care giving, indicative of and stemming from her deep faith, extended far beyond medical practice. She freely shared her gifts of teaching, faith, and encouragement with those around her and within the congregations where she worshipped. (See Mennonite Women, Elaine Sommers Rich, editor, pages 179 and 180 for additional information on Dr. Esther Smucker’s (Hodel) faith and practices biography, including a story of a childhood dream she had of Jesus walking and talking with her.) She continued to use her medical skills after retirement in 1974 in Carlsbad, New Mexico, where she died at age 86.
This scholarship continues her practice of encouraging and helping others to fully develop their skills for a life of faith and service.