Noreen Stonor Drexel

Born at her family’s estate, Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, England, Mildred Sophia Noreen Stonor Drexel was the daughter of Ralph Stonor, 5th Baron Camoys, and Lady Mildred Sherman Camoys, and the granddaughter of William Watts Sherman and Sophia Augusta Brown of Newport. During World War II, she came to the United States and worked as a nurse with the Red Cross, an organization with which she would remain closely involved throughout her life. She married John Rozet Drexel III in 1941, and they became key figures in the social and philanthropic scenes of Newport and Palm Beach, Florida, with Mrs. Drexel often spearheading fundraisers for local organizations. Mrs. Drexel was a staunch advocate for birthing mothers, and in 2003, Newport Hospital dedicated the Noreen Stonor Drexel Birthing Center in her honor. Mrs. Drexel served on the boards of the Preservation Society of Newport County and the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust, as well as the Board of Trustees of Salve Regina University, which made her an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1999. Mrs. Drexel was involved with historic preservation efforts at the university, including projects in Ochre Court and the William Watts Sherman House. The McBean Charitable Trust endowed the Cultural and Historic Preservation Program at Salve Regina in her honor, as well as scholarships in education and nursing in 2013.