Dorothy Dunning Chacko was an American social worker, humanitarian and medical doctor, whose efforts were reported behind the establishment of a lepers' colony at Bethany village, in Ganaur, Sonepat district in the Indian state of Haryana.
14 Facts About Dorothy Chacko
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Dorothy Chacko was a Hall of Famer of the County of Delaware, Pennsylvania a recipient of the Take the Lead Honour from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania and the Smith College Medal.
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Dorothy Chacko was honoured by the Government of India in 1972 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
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Dorothy Chacko did her early schooling there and moving to the US at the age of 16, she completed her school education at the Bradford Academy, Massachusetts in 1921.
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Dorothy Chacko did her initial college education at the Smith College in Northampton from where she graduated in 1925, standing first in the examinations.
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Dorothy Chacko moved to India when Joseph Chacko returned to his home land in June 1932 to join as a faculty member of international law at the University of Punjab.
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Dorothy Chacko spent her early Indian days in Kerala, her husband's native place, and practiced medicine and got involved in social activities.
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Dorothy Chacko was one of the founders of Mahila Samajam for the Church of the East in Kerala which, over the years grew to become a 1000-member organization involved in missionary and social activities.
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Dorothy Chacko headed the board of the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana for a period.
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In 1967, Joseph Dorothy Chacko accepted the post of a visiting professor at the Pennsylvania Military College, and Dorothy Chacko family moved to Chester, Pennsylvania.
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Dorothy Chacko continued her medical practice by joining Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland as a staff physician at its maternal and infant-care clinics.
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Dorothy Chacko died on 30 December 1992 at her Chester home at the age of 88 and was buried at the Chester Rural Cemetery.
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Joseph and Dorothy Chacko had three children, eldest son, Joseph Chacko, an engineer based in California, the younger son, John Chacko, a medical doctor practicing in Regina, Canada and the youngest, Mary Russel, working in Hawai as a congregational minister.
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Dorothy Chacko was honoured with the Smith College Medal by her alma mater, Smith College, in 1970 and she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware County, Pennsylvania in 1996.