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Emory Weekend 2005
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f there ever was a reason for School of Nursing alumni to raise a toast, it was Emory Weekend 2005. For four festive days last May, alumni, students, staff, and faculty joined together to hold class reunions and applaud nursing graduates during the nursing school’s 100th anniversary.Though the school’s official birthday was not until August 16 (the date the school was established in 1905), alumni and graduates still had much to celebrate.
     The weekend began with an Alumni Centennial Celebration as Georgia state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver read a proclamation recognizing the school during its 100th year. “The state of Georgia has a lot to thank you for,” Oliver said, noting the school’s contributions to nursing education, research, and patient care.
     The evening definitely belonged to alumni, including those from the Class of 1955 and the Class of 1980, who observed their 50th and 25th reunions, respectively, and two special nurses honored by the Nurses Alumni Association (NAA).
     “It really did take a village for me to become a nurse,” said Jane Clark, 67Ox, 71N, 80MN, who received the NAA’s Award of Honor. Clark is a former assistant professor in the School of Nursing, where she taught oncology nursing to graduate students and coordinated the pediatric oncology major. She also made her mark in patient care at Emory University Hospital, where she helped define the nurse’s role in bone marrow transplantation and maintain high standards of care for all cancer patients. Now retired from Emory Hospital, Clark continues to conduct review courses for the Oncology Nursing Society throughout the country and works on behalf of the Georgia Cancer Coalition and other organizations.
   
   
     The NAA also recognized nursing leader and author Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee, 69MN, with the Distinguished Nursing Achievement Award. Neidel-Greenlee served with the federal government for 30 years, primarily at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), where she held a number of leadership positions. Her experiences at the VAMC fueled her passion for historical writing and nurses in the military. In 2003, Neidel-Greenlee and Dr. Evelyn Monahan, 79T, a former VAMC counseling psychologist, published And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II, one of three books they have written about nurses in uniform. And If I Perish has been recognized by the Book of the Month Club, the History Book Club, and the Georgia Writers Association.
     The honors and rights of passage continued throughout Emory Weekend as Class of 2005 graduates received their nursing pins and their diplomas. And there were more honors. During the diploma ceremony, instructor Barbara Kaplan received the Emory Williams Award, the university’s most prestigious award for teaching. Kaplan is known for her work in preparing students for clinical decision-making and hands-on care using patient simulation (see related story on page 8). The university also presented an honorary doctor of science degree to Dr. Sue Hegyvary, 66MN, professor and dean emeritus of the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle and editor of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. A skilled researcher, Hegyvary recently developed an explanatory model using resources, empowerment, and demography as determinants of health outcomes in nearly 200 countries.
   
   
     Students shone in the spotlight as well, including BSN graduate Natalia Townsend, recipient of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Award for pediatric nursing. Christy Bottoms, another BSN graduate, received the Silver Bowl Award, presented by the NAA for excellence in academics, nursing leadership, and patient care. The Associates, community members who provide scholarship support for students, presented a second Silver Bowl Award to Jennifer Vallidis, who exemplifies the same qualities at the master’s level.
The Class of 2005 now holds a place in Emory history as the 99th class to graduate from the School of Nursing. “We are the Class of 2005 and we are the future of caring now,” noted Greg Whitlock, 05N, vice president of the baccalaureate class, referring to the school’s Centennial tagline.
     That sentiment was not lost on Andrea Higham, a leader with Johnson & Johnson and this year’s diploma ceremony speaker. “I know you will put this fantastic education to good use,” said Higham, noting the school’s evolution from a small training school with 10 students to one with 200 graduates annually. “You will all touch lives in more ways than you can imagine.”
     Higham, who directs Johnson & Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future, worked closely with Dean Marla Salmon to help launch a company campaign in the Caribbean to recruit and retain nurses in that region. “When you leave here today,” Higham told graduates, “you have an obligation to care for yourself, your family, your profession, your fellow nurses, and your community. As Emory University President James Wagner said earlier today, you have an obligation to do good.”
   
   
     The Class of 2005 is living up to that expectation. For the school’s Centennial, BSN and MSN graduates designated their class gift be used to support the Centennial Scholarship Fund to help future nursing students come to Emory. Together, graduating students contributed $3,200 to the scholarship fund, which Salmon pledged to match. Other contributors include Higham, who provided a $4,000 gift; the NAA, which provided $3,600 in proceeds from this year's Oh Nellie Fun Run; and alumni and other friends. Gifts and pledges to date total $71,000.
     “I am personally touched by your gift,” Salmon told graduates in parting. “You truly are the future of caring.”—Pam Auchmutey

To learn more about the Centennial Scholarship Fund, contact Kim Julian at (404) 727-6185, (877) 676-0004 (toll free), or kjulian@emory.edu.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
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