This is the story of a black American woman who grew up in our community. A time in America, like today, where people say -“all you have to do is study hard, work hard and you can achieve anything!”
Madlyn worked very hard and she was very successful, but there were many challenges along the way. Some of those challenges we still as a community and country refuse to recognize. Now I ask you to step into Madeline Fitzgerald Eleazer’s shoes and hear her story.
Madlyn was born October 4, 1920, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She came from a hardworking family that made their way from Virginia to North Carolina. Her great-great maternal grandmother Anna Spikes was born in Virginia. Census records from 1860 show her as a “mulatto” woman – who owned her own farm in North Carolina, living into her 80s.
The next two generations lived and died as farmers in the Davidson, North Carolina area. Her grandfather John Nelson Fitzgerald (born 1848) married Carolina, they had six children one was Nelson Zeb Fitzgerald.
Zeb (Madlyn’s dad) moved to Brooklyn N.Y. He married Lucy and had 4 daughters one was Madlyn.
Zeb, Marlyn’s dad, started working in Sayville in the early 20th century. He spent summers working first at the Brown’s Hotel, then the South Bay house, the Delavan, the Kensington, and many others.
Zeb was a fixture in our Sayville community, known as an accomplished chef, manager, caterer, and baker. His early years in our town subjected him to the same racial discrimination his daughter Marlyn would face years later.
Zeb worked hard through his life. He placed a premium on education and all of his daughters graduated with honors from Sayville Schools.
Marlyn his daughter was an honors student while attending Sayville High School. She took part in many school and community activities- Girl Scouts, Sayville High Chorus and Orchestra, NYS Nurses Association, Red Cross, and many others.
In 1938 Madlyn graduated from Sayville High School.
She then entered the Lincoln Hospital Nursing School, in Brooklyn, New York.
When Madlyn graduated from Nursing school she returned home. At the time she applied for a job at Southside Hospital. She was told by the hospital she wouldn’t be a “good fit”- I was told that I wouldn’t be happy there….” (the conclusion is obvious)amazing since she just graduated with honors.
Being a resilient woman, Madlyn persevered and applied to the Central Islip Psychiatric Hospital. They hired her as an RN. But then was assigned as a ward attendant not allowed to have nursing duties. These sad experiences drove her back to Brooklyn and Lincoln Hospital to work for many years.
The War began, her then-husband was a Sergeant serving in the Philippines. Feeling it her duty, she applied to the Army Nursing Corps. Again Madlyn was rejected because of her race.
Undeterred Madlyn continued to work at Lincoln hospital. She was given a citation of merit from New York City Mayor Laguardia for her service during the war years at the municipal hospital.
The war over and her mother in need of medical care, Madlyn returned to Sayville. She was hired by Dr.Kings Hospital in Bayshore. After a few years, she took another position of service at the VA Hospital in Northport. She found the work rewarding being able to care for recently returning veterans from the War.
In 1952, Madlyn began working at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Her assignment was to care for and record the effects of nuclear exposure on its patients. There were many other research projects she was involved in, including effects of coal mining on workers, diseases such as leukemia, hypertension, and Parkinson’s.
Madlyn worked there till the mid-1970s before she retired. She was honored for her work there by the hospital.
The Town of Islip also honored her as being the first Black nurse in our town. Many honors, many achievements, lots of study and research, tons of hard work Madlyn’s nursing career can be acknowledged as exemplary.
Along the way, Marlyn married LeRoy Eleazer and had three daughters, Carol, Donna, and Gail, grandmother of eight and great grandmother to 9 more.
Madlyn-
“I have always tried to teach my children that life is just what you make of it”
“I feel very fortunate “, “Mine was a good life”
An understatement for sure
Madlyn studied hard, worked hard, she truly lived a good life.
She persisted!!
“if there are any angels in heaven, they’re all nurses.” J. Biden
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