Francis Xavier Dercum grew up in Philadelphia and trained as a neurologist.  When President Woodrow Wilson had his massive stroke in 1919, Dercum was called in as consultant.  Years later when Wilson's widow Edith wrote her memoirs, she insisted that it was Dr. Dercum who had encouraged her to run things while he recovered. Francis's sister Clara also became a physician and spent much of her career giving charity care to the poor in Philadelphia, while working tirelessly for women's rights.  Their half-sister Susanna went in a different direction and became Leopold Stokowski's choice for the voice of Maria Aegyptica when he conducted the American premier of Mahler's 8th Symphony in 1916.  Three Dercums, three different stories for the April edition of Biographical Bytes from Bala: West Laurel Hill Stories. 

 

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