(Nov. 18, 1863-Sept. 3, 1939). Born in Washington, Indiana, Mary Angela Spink came to Indianapolis from Cincinnati in 1884 as a nurse for the Central Hospital For The Insane and to attend medical school. She received her M.D. from the Medical College of Indiana in 1887.

A large, brick Victorian Gothic building. It has two towers, several dormer windows, a rounded tower projecting off one side and elaborately decorated eaves.
Central State Hospital, n.d. Credit: Indiana Historical Society View Source

Spink served as pathologist at Central State and, with Dr. William B. Fletcher, opened the Fletcher Sanatorium in 1888. In 1907, she became the sanatorium’s chief administrator. Spink developed a system for preserving circulation within the skull that was considered a significant contribution to the field of neurology. Spink was also a surgeon on the staff of Indianapolis city hospital and a member of the State Board of Charities for many years.

Following the death of her brother Edgar George Spink in 1927, Mary succeeded him as president and general manager of Spink-Arms Hotel Corporation and General Apartments, Inc., which operated numerous apartment buildings in the city.

Revised April 2024
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