Lillian Wald - Legacy

Legacy

The New York Times named Wald as one of the 12 greatest living American women in 1922 and she later received the Lincoln Medallion for her work as an "Outstanding Citizen of New York.” In 1937 a radio broadcast celebrated Wald's 70th birthday; Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt read a letter from her son, President Franklin Roosevelt, in which he praised Wald for her “unselfish labor to promote the happiness and well being of others.”

Wald never married. She died on September 1, 1940 of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of seventy-three. Thousands mourned her death at private and public meetings. Rabbi Stephen Wise of the Free Synagogue led a service at Henry Street's Neighborhood Playhouse. Dr. John L. Elliott led a private service at her Westport home. A few months later, 2,500 people filled Carnegie Hall to hear statements from the president, governor, mayor, and others testifying to Wald's ability to bring people together and effect change. She was interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester.

A BBYO chapter was later named after Wald. This is a chapter in North Florida Region named Waldflowers BBG #326.

The Lillian Wald Houses on Avenue D in Manhattan were named for her. The Henry Street Settlement and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York continue the work she started more than a hundred years ago.