Dr. Evelyn Sydnor Bouden
We’d like to take a moment to remember a very special person, pioneer physician, and former Women’s Law Project telephone counselor, Dr. Evelyn Sydnor Bouden.
Dr. Evelyn Sydnor Bouden of Philadelphia died March 14, 2019 at age 94. Evelyn volunteered at the WLP during her retirement, and devoted nearly 12 years to serving the women of Philadelphia. When she could no longer volunteer, she remained in touch, often visiting and attending our annual party until illness made it impossible.
After graduating from the Philadelphia High School for Girls, Evelyn earned a B.S. degree in Physical Education from the University of Wisconsin. From there, she went on to Columbia University in New York, NY, where she was certified as a physical therapist. Under the auspices of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, she traveled the nation treating children with polio. Moved by this experience, Dr. Bouden returned to Philadelphia to attend Women’s Medical College (now Drexel University Medical College), earning her M.D. degree in 1955. She completed her training at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Bouden’s extensive medical contributions were rooted in a passion and commitment to serving women and children, especially those with few resources. She opened a private practice, where for 8 years she focused on serving mostly African-American children in Philadelphia. Next, she became project director for Philadelphia’s Comprehensive Health Care Program for Children and Youth, establishing and overseeing a first-of-its-kind health center providing free medical services to 7,000 children and 10,000 adults in North Philadelphia.
Evelyn moved on to become an evaluator of similar programs around the country, determining standards of care and protocol. Later, she became Director of Pediatric Ambulatory and Emergency Room Services at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, NY. Returning to Pennsylvania, Dr. Bouden became the first African-American woman to head the Commonwealth’s Division of Maternal and Child Health, where she served until her retirement in 1991. During her 15-year tenure, she worked to establish programs such as Healthy Beginnings Plus Maternity and other programs aimed at improving family planning, prenatal/perinatal care, newborn screenings, primary health care, and the prevention of lead poisoning.
During retirement, Dr. Bouden volunteered by tutoring low-literacy mothers of young children before joining the Women’s Law Project as a telephone counselor in 1997. In her application to the Women’s Law Project, she wrote, “Telephone counseling may be a service I can perform with satisfaction.”
As for us, we found this to be a remarkable understatement of her contributions. Thousands of women call our Telephone Counseling & Referral Service seeking assistance with family-related legal issues, employment, discrimination, leaving an abusive household, and more.
Evelyn worked as a telephone counselor until illness forced her to stop. The Women’s Law Project nominated her and she received a volunteer recognition award from Women’s Way for her work at the Women’s Law Project.
Dr. Bouden enjoyed music, reading, and most especially travel. She visited wonderful and exciting places worldwide, including countries in Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Bouden is survived by a large extended family. We are deeply honored to have known her, and we will always remember her contributions to women and children.
The Women’s Law Project is a public interest law center devoted to defending and expanding the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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