Mrs. Gladys Draper Townsend, 53, a prominent resident of Lafayette and native of Delphi, died at Home hospital, Lafayette, Thursday moming of last week. Mrs. Townsend had been ill for a number of months with cancer. Born here, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Draper. She graduated from Delphi high school and from Home hospital School of Nursing. She was married to John W. Townsend in 1926. Mrs. Townsend had served for 10 years as chairman of the Tippecanoe County Chapter of the National Infantile Paralysis foundation and was director of women’s activities in Northern Indiana for the foundation. She had planned the current Salk polio vaccine tests in Tippecanoe county despite her illness. She is survived by the husband; a daughter, Betty Jean; a son, John Townsend, Jr., of Rensselaer; her father, who resided with the Townsend family; a brother, Leo Draper, of Rochester; two sisters, Faye Tracht of Cincinnati and Joy Draper Barnhart of Churubusco. Funeral rites were held Sunday from the Federated church in West Lafayette with Rev. Doyle Mullen officiating. Burial was in Grand View cemetery, Lafayette. Delphi Citizen May 13, 1954