In Memory

Dora Esther Wimmer (Swain) - Class Of 1916

August 09, 1987  The Morning Call

Mrs. Dora Esther Wimmer (Swain), 88, a prominent Allentown educator and founder of the Swain School, died Thursday, August 9, 1987 in Westminster Village, Allentown, Pa.  She was the widow of Dr. James Edgar Swain, who was the school's curriculum coordinator following his retirement as chairman of the history department at Muhlenberg College.  Born in Rockville, Indiana, she was a daughter of the late Bertie A. and Josie E. (Hamilton) Wimmer.

For more than 40 years, Mrs. Swain guided the destiny of the private school, from its modest beginnings in 1929 as a kindergarten class with eight children gathered in a private home, to the present 20-acre campus along S. 24th Street, Salisbury Township.

Not one to cling to old-fashioned ideas, she was fearless in adopting innovations that sometimes startled members of the faculty. One course of which she was especially proud was the social studies program designed by her husband. Its aim wasto make the student feel involved and responsible in the concepts of freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A gracious woman with style and a warm sense of humor who never hesitated to speak her mind, she announced her resignation as headmistress to the school board in the fall of 1972.

She once told a reporter, "I expect someday to retire to my front-porch rocking chair with a stack of good books. I will know that I have enjoyed many happy, fruitful, good times. They have truly been fun-filled years."

Even after relinquishing the title of headmistress and turning the reins of administration over to her son, James E. Swain Jr. of Salisbury Township, she continued to report to her office daily and to make decisions as head of the lower school. She retired from that job, completing her active association with the Swain School, in 1976.

Teaching small children was her special pleasure. If anyone commented that the kindergarten was less important than other grades, she would bristle with indignation and declare that it was one of the most important areas of the school.

A one-time member of the administrative staff recalls seeing Mrs. Swain "scold a child and then turn on her ready smile. She'd end up by charming the youngster into adoring her."

She often could be heard humming as she hurried through the corridors, but was never too busy to stop and talk to any child seeking her attention. She was familiar with the background of every child and was acquainted with their parents.

She also maintained a personal interest in the careers of the school's graduates - 95 percent of whom went on to college. She was always delighted when alumni, no longer residing in this area, would stop by to say hello while passing through the city.

For relaxation, Mrs. Swain enjoyed golf, playing bridge with friends and reading. But the school captured a large part of her seemingly limitless reserve of energy. She never sought publicity for herself, but was always eager for recognition of the school.

She traveled extensively throughout America, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal and Scandinavia, where she toured schools, and upon her return to the Lehigh Valley reported her findings to the community through stories in The Morning Call.

Mrs. Swain had a remarkable memory and could recall anecdotes about students long since graduated. One such story, which brought a chuckle from her, was about a pupil who had been sent to the Swain home, adjacent to the school, to pick up an item. Looking at a portrait of the headmistress as a young mother, the little girl studied it for a moment and then asked if it was Mrs. Swain. When told by the administrator that it was, she remarked, "You must have been beautiful once."

She received her bachelor's degree from Indiana University and an honorary doctorate in education from Cedar Crest College. In addition, she did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the Sorbonne in France and Lehigh University.

Prior to moving to Allentown in 1925, Mrs. Swain and her husband resided in the Philadelphia area, where she was a teacher and principal at the Lansdowne Friends School. Although she did not intend to continue work in education when she moved to Allentown, she was persuaded to establish a kindergarten to meet a need expressed by several mothers.

The first class, in 1929, consisted of four boys and four girls reporting to an upstairs room in the home of the late Rev. Dr. Russell Stine. Mrs. Swain often wore a gold pin given her by members of the original kindergarten class and their spouses, inscribed with her pupils' names.

In the succeeding years, classes were held in the Allentown Masonic Temple and in the faculty house at Muhlenberg College. The school was incorporated on Valentine's Day, 1949.

One day in 1951 Mrs. Swain's close friend, the late businesswoman Marjorie Allison, who also loved children, drove the headmistress out to a cornfield along S. 24th Street and asked her how she would like the 20 acres for a campus. The present campus was erected on that site and officially became known as the Swain Country Day School.  For more information on the school, click this link: Swain Country Day School.

It was begun as an elementary school; grade 10 was added in 1959 and grade 11 in 1960. In 1961, grade 12 was added and the school held its first high school graduation.

Mrs. Swain wrote a full history of the school and published it under the title, "The Swain School Story."

She was a past president of the Woman's Club of Allentown and a former member of the Woman's Board of the American Heart Association, Mideastern Pennsylvania Chapter.

She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Allentown.

Surviving with her son are two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the church. A calling hour in the church will precede the services.

The Donald N. Bachman Funeral Home, 1030 Walnut St., Allentown, is in charge of arrangements.