Dorothea Michelsen de Zafra papers

Dorothea Michelsen de Zafra (1909-2009) was a 1929 alumna of the University of Rochester College for Women at Prince Street. A double major in German and history, she earned a Phi Beta Kappa key for academic excellence and a letter in field hockey. She received her M.A. from the University in 1932. According to daughter Dorothea de Zafra Atwell '63, her mother was a great admirer Susan B. Anthony, who had spearheaded the movement to open the University to female students (Rochester Review, March-April 2008).

During her time as a German and Social Studies teacher at Rochester's John Marshall High School, de Zafra was noted for her assistance to German-speaking students from war-ravaged Europe. Although she became a homemaker in the 1950s to raise her daughters, de Zafra continued a career of volunteerism that spanned forty years and included such positions as Treasurer of the UR chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and unofficial historian of the Town of Charlotte. She was a member of the Class of 1929 reunion committees and was named "Class President for Life" at their 50th reunion in 1974.