 Mary (Mamie) Gwinn and Mary Elizabeth Garrett were intimate friends of M. Carey Thomas who, at different times, lived with Thomas at the Deanery and contributed to its enhancement.Thomas was introduced to Gwinn and Garrett by a close friend, Bessie King, during her time at Cornell.When Thomas returned to Baltimore, she became close friends with both Gwinn and Garrett, and together with Bessie King and Julia Rodgers the group of five women created the Friday Evening Club, which met every second Friday to write and discuss matters of love and life.