Pérola Byington
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3 December 1879
Pérola Byington | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pearl Ellis McIntyre 3 December 1879 |
| Died | 6 November 1963 (aged 83) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Albert Jackson Byington |
Pérola Ellis Byington (born Pearl Ellis McIntyre; 3 December 1879 – 6 November 1963) was a Brazilian philanthropist and social activist. She was an advocate for mother and children's health assistance in Brazil during the first half of 20th century.[1]
On 3 December 1879, Byington was born as Pearl Ellis McIntyre in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste, São Paulo, Brazil.[2] Byington's parents were Mary Elisabeth Ellis and Robert Dickson McIntyre, American Confederado immigrants who settled in Santa Bárbara d'Oeste. She adopted the Portuguese form of her name (Pérola) and in 1894 when Pérola was fourteen years old, she completed the preparation for the Normal School, but was not admitted because the minimum age requirement was sixteen years old.
Education
Byington received private lessons in education, except Latin, which she took at a boys' school, where Pérola had to hide behind a folding screen so as not to attract the attention of the teacher and the boys. In 1897, Pérola took the entrance exams for the annex course of the Law Academy of São Paulo. She didn't pass the geography test and neither was well received by the academics, who did not want to admit women. In 1899, at the age of 19, Byington finished the normal course.
