Karen Dyer, vice president for advancement and strategic initiatives
Item description: Cardboard and metal container once containing bulk sodium salicylate from Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, USA, with wooden lid stamped E.H. Bindley & Co., Terre Haute, Indiana.
Sitting unassumingly among piles of books, old lamps, glassware, discarded suitcases and old hat boxes on a shelf in the basement of the Conservatory of Music on the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in a space reserved for theater props, this unassuming cardboard container is a simple item that most would overlook. Many may not think it is worth saving.
Sodium salicylate is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), similar to aspirin, and was likely used for headaches.
At The Woods, we tend to hold on to our history, which often means we hold on to items that represent it.
When I saw this container, dusty and old, I thought it surely had a story to tell.
What I found was an interesting intersection of legacy, history and mission surrounding this modest, discarded pharmaceutical item as it came from a local entrepreneur with a connection to The Woods.
In 1865, E.H. Bindley & Company began a pharmaceutical wholesaling business in Terre Haute at 121 N. 5th Street. Bindley ran the business with his two sons, E.H. Bindley Jr. and William Bindley. E.H.’s grandson, Bill Bindley, would go on to establish his own company, Bindley Western Industries, Inc., in 1968 as a distributor of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products. William Bindley retired in 1979, selling the family business after more than 100 years.
Amid this Bindley family legacy, Gertrude Lynch from Terre Haute attended the College, graduating in 1935 and majoring in commerce and finance. Like many Woods graduates, Gertrude had a family legacy at the institution as her sister, Mary “Mae” Lynch Miller, Class of 1929, and two nieces, Mary Ann Miller Barrett and Nancy Miller Beringer, both Class of 1956, also attended. She married William Bindley and became mother to Bill Bindley and Tom Bindley.
Today, the Gertrude Bindley Endowed Scholarship is part of her legacy, established by her son Tom, and helping countless students attain their educational goals throughout the years.
The Bindley family legacy intersects with the mission of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin as she saw a need to help improve wellness during the early years of the western central part of Indiana.
Dispensing medicine was an essential part of life on campus, and Mother Guerin saw a need to open a pharmacy at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in the spring of 1844 for “the constant dispensing of remedies to the people of the countryside,” according to the History of the Sisters of Providence.
“Under Mother Theodore’s skilled direction, Sister Olympiade presided over the first log cabin erected a few feet from the log chapel near the edge of the ravine where the summerhouse now stands, stocked with tisanes, simple remedies, and herbs. It was a source of great help and security and did much good for many years,” from the History of the Sisters of Providence.
A tisane is a tea-like botanical made of herbs, roots, spices and flowers.
Mother Theodore learned about medicines and remedies studying with a doctor in France as she cared for children and the sick in Soulaine before coming to America. She also opened a free pharmacy in Vincennes.
You can visit a replica of Mother Guerin’s pharmacy at her shrine on the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, where you’ll see how she collected herbs.
In 2020, the global botanical market was valued at $93.6 billion, according to BusinessWire, which projected future growth in the industry based on new applications for human and animal consumption and cosmeceuticals and the popularity of natural and herbal ingredients and remedies.
It seems that Mother Theodore’s teachings, mission and work are still relevant today in so many ways, especially practical ones such as the College’s curriculum.
Mother Theodore’s legacy can also be found in the College’s nursing and wellness students, who are studying to dispense remedies and care for the people of our community today and for generations to come. An innovator herself, I have to think that Mother Theodore would be pleased to know the school she founded continues to innovate, adding new majors and technologies to enable students to learn and give back – including such innovations as an online Paramedic to BSN program, which is the first of its kind in Indiana.
In 2022, the College donated the container to become part of the E.H. Bindley & Company collection at the Vigo County History Center – finding a new home on the third floor, among other historical pharmaceutical items.
This container stands as a testament to the growth and prosperity of local entrepreneurs and innovators from the mid-1800s to today. Mother Theodore arrived at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods when Terre Haute and the State of Indiana were only 24 years old, and 15 years later, E.H. Bindley began a family legacy that would endure more than 100 years.
Although I’m sure that we’ll never know how and why this empty container came to be at The Woods, or why after all of these years it remained here, what I do know is that this found treasure is a reminder of how legacy and mission give context – connecting the past, present and future of a place such as ours – The Woods, Terre Haute and even as far-reaching as France.
Working in the field of higher education fundraising since 1997, Karen Dyer has dedicated her career to supporting higher education – investing in change-makers, creative thinkers and leadership for students of all walks of life through a focus on studying, practicing and leading the art of fundraising. As the Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Dyer provides oversight for the fundraising, communications, marketing, events and alumni relations teams, while heading efforts for the SMWC Aspire Higher Strategic Plan. She enjoys writing and editing and is active in the Wabash Valley community, involved in the areas of strategic planning, fundraising and leadership and community development.
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