Dorothy F. Leet Honors and Memberships
Dorothy F. Leet, Director Reid Hall, Charlety, Recteur de l'université de Paris, Werlich, representing the U.S. Ambassador to France, André Siegfried, Collège de France at a reception honoring Leet as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, 1934. Photograph retrieved from the RH archives.
David Bruce, American Ambassador to France, Dorothy F. Leet, President Reid Hall, Louis Joxe, Minister, at a reception held in Reid Hall's Grande Salle to honor Leet's promotion to Officer of the Legion of Honor, 1949. Photo retrieved from the RH archives.
Honors
- 1934 Chevalier de la légion d’honneur.
- 1949 Officier de la Légion d'honneur. Decorated by Louis Joxe, Directeur général des relations culturelles
- 1954 honorary doctorate from Smith College
- 1954, honorary doctorate Rutgers University (Douglass College)
- 1959 Commandeur de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques
- 1964 Médaille en Vermeil of the Ministry of French Affairs
- 1968 Barnard's "Distinguished Alumna Award.” Established in 1967 as a way to honor and inspire outstanding Barnard women, the award is given each year to an alumna who personifies the ideals of excellence of a liberal arts education and who has achieved considerable public or professional distinction and recognition in her chosen field of endeavor. Leet was the first to receive the award.
- 1971 “Tribute of Appreciation” from the State Department for her work with the Franco-American Commission since its founding. Received at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Fulbright scholarships.
- 1974 the “Cravate” of Commander in the National Order of Merit
- The IFUW named its international fellowship program in her honor (date unknown)
- Plaque of honor from the French-American Societies in the United States (date unknown)
Memberships
- Member and later President (1953-1956) of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), and member of its French chapter (AFDU)
- Consultant for the IFUW at UNESCO
- Member of the American Association of University Women; (AAUW)
- Board member of the Fondation des États-Unis at the Cité universitaire (from its inception in 1929); Chair of its Woolley Scholarship Committee in 1936
- Board Member of the Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange (Fulbright Commission) from its inception in 1948. The only woman on the board in the 1950s.
- Board member of the Paris branch of the Federation of French Alliances (Alliance française)
- Board member of the American School in Paris (for 10 years)
- Board member of the College de l'Europe Libre (Strasbourg): she was the only woman on the board of this program that facilitated the studies of young people from countries behind the Iron Curtain at the University of Strasbourg and other European universities.
- Founder (1951) and first president of the American Women’s Group in Paris, which introduced new American residents to French life
- Lafayette Scholarship Fund
- International Social Service in Geneva, which supported children, families and individuals facing social and legal difficulties as a consequence of international migration or displacement
- Mission Populaire Évangélique de France
- Director of the Comité International de Liaison des Associations Féminines
- Member of the Cosmopolitan Club in New York
Mrs. David Bruce (wife of American Ambassador to France), Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower, Mrs. Dean Acheson, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Miss Dorothy F. Leet, Mrs. Austin (wife of Senator Austin), Mme René Pleven (wife of Minister Pleven), Ana Lord Strauss, Mme Lefaucheux (French delegate to the U.N.). Luncheon of the American Women's Group, 1951. Photo retrieved from the RH archives.
Dorothy F. Leet, center, Jacques Cousteau, right, 1971. Photograph retrieved from the RH archives.
Guests Speakers and Visitors
The list of speakers who came to Reid Hall during Leet’s tenure reads like a veritable Who’s Who of the 20th century. Regulars were:
- Minister Louis Joxe
- French ambassador Henri Bonnet
- Senator Honnorat
- all of the American ambassadors since Myron Herrick
- all the rectors of the University of Paris since 1924
- André Siegfried
- Paul Hazard
- Etienne Gilson
- Antoine Bourdelle
- Henri Focillon
- Abbé Ernest Dimnet
- Paul Claudel
- Sir Gilbert Murray
- Raymond Aron
- René Hughe
- Jean Vilar
- Abbé Breuil
- Janet Flanner, Leet's good friend and long-time New Yorker columnist
Weekly teas at Reid Hall regularly featured political figures, writers, artists, and academics in every discipline. Receptions and dinners marked special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also visits of key figures including:
- George Marshall
- Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Gertrude Stein
- Caroline Spurgeon
- Lady Rhondda
The Pen Club also hosted its monthly dinners on-site, attracting such regular guests as:
- Paul Valéry
- Jules Romain
- André Maurois
- François Mauriac
- Ernest Hemingway
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- John Galsworthy
- Luigi Pirandello
- Sylvia Beach
- Adrienne Monnier
Leet also sponsored a concert series, featuring student recitals and workshops with Nadia Boulanger.
André Gide, who had studied at the Keller Institute, came from time to time to reminisce in the garden. Leet lunched regularly with Marie Curie and her colleague, Norwegian radiochemist Ellen Gleditsch, both of whom were also regulars at the AFDU’s functions.