Cherishing the Student Experience - School of Nursing - University ...

SPRING 2004

LETTER FROM THE ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESIDENT 

Cherishing the Student Experience 

DEAR FELLOW ALUMNI AND FRIENDS, 

As the saying goes, “Time flies when you are 

having fun!” This June marks the completion 

of the second year of my term as your president. 

It is a privilege to work with such 

talented and dedicated alumni volunteers and 

staff. The connections with current 

students have been an added 

pleasure. I am constantly 

awed by the outstanding 

quality of our school’s 

faculty and students. 

What is most gratifying 

is to see what a 

difference alumni 

support makes in the 

life of the school. Your 

unrestricted gifts to 

the Nursing Annual 

Fund are truly changing 

lives by funding student and 

alumni scholarships, faculty 

awards and professional development, 

and other vital work of the school. 

Thank you for your generous support. Now, as 

never before, private gifts are critically important 

to ensure the U.Va. School of Nursing 

can maintain its standards of excellence. 

The feature story in this issue offers a 

glimpse of the Raven Society, in honor of the 

centennial of that prestigious organization. 

Did you know that more than 150 members of 

the society are our own alumni, some of 

whom were the first women elected as 

Ravens We can all be proud that the School 

of Nursing has had such a strong presence in 

the Raven Society’s rich tradition. 

What do you recall about your own experience 

as a nursing student at U.Va. I am 

convinced we would all have different stories 

to tell, but with many similarities. I entered 

Summer Session as a rising third-year in 1973, 

and was a member of the last class to reside in 

McKim Hall. Many of us were transfer students 

from other institutions, and it was a 

challenge for all of us in that era to acclimate 

ourselves and to become integrated into the 

culture of the University at large. I can only 

imagine how difficult—if not impossible—it 

was for the nursing students before 1970. 

I am happy to report that U.Va. nursing 

students today are active members of the 

University community. This issue provides a 

glimpse of several current students who have 

successfully integrated themselves into U.Va. 

student life in a variety of ways. These students 

are representative of the “new wave” of 

nursing student; many undergraduates enter 

the School of Nursing in their first year, with 

the highest academic credentials (most are in 

the top 10 percent of their high school graduating 

classes), and they are immediately 

engaged in some of the most rigorous academics 

on Grounds. Many have a heart for 

serving their community as well. Through the 

“Alumni in Residence” program, the Alumni 

Council hopes to connect with students 

throughout their four-year experience, with 

the goal of cultivating them as active future 

members of the Nursing Alumni Association. 

In closing, I want to again invite your 

active participation in alumni-sponsored 

events. Check out the calendar for upcoming 

opportunities to visit the school. When you 

visit, take time to talk to a student or two and 

you will consider it time well spent. 

As always, if you have ideas, concerns or 

comments, please feel free to contact me or 

Karen Ratzlaff, Managing Director of 

Development & Alumni Affairs, at (434) 924- 

0084. If you would like to “share the fun,” we 

invite you to volunteer your time. We can 

match your interests and talents with various 

jobs, both large and small. 

I look forward to seeing many of you at 

your Reunion in June. Happy spring! 

With warmest regards, 

Cindi Colyer Allen 

BSN Class of 1975 

2 The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004

The Virginia Legacy is published two 

times a year by the University of 

Virginia School of Nursing and Nursing 

Alumni Association. Your comments, 

feedback, and story ideas are always 

welcome! Please contact the editor. 

Thank you for your support. 

contents 

University of Virginia 

School of Nursing 

Alumni and Development Office 

P.O. Box 800782 

Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782 

(434) 924-0138 

(434) 982-3699 FAX 

e-mail: nursing-alumni@virginia.edu 

Editor: 

Karen Jordan Ratzlaff 

Editorial Advisers: 

Reba Moyer Childress, Shannon 

Marshall Ikenberry, Jennifer Collie 

Hutchinson, Emily Eiwen Drake 

Class Notes & News Editor: Anca Arnautu 

Design: 

Richard Montoya: design 

Contributing Writers: 

Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli, Dan 

Heuchert, Mary Beth Knight, 

Barbara Brodie, Karen Ratzlaff 

Photography: 

Tom Cogill, Kathy Kayser, Stephanie 

Gross, Andrew Shurtleff, the CNHI 

Historical Collections, John Gillooly, 

Dan Heuchert 

The Virginia Legacy is published with 

private funds. 

University of Virginia School of Nursing 

Established in 1901 

Main Switchboard: (434) 924-2743 

Admissions & Student Services 

Toll-free: (888) 283-8703 

Visit us on the Web at: 

http://www.nursing.virginia.edu 

Jeanette Lancaster, RN, PhD, FAAN 

Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of 

Nursing and Dean 

4 

7 

8 

14 

18 

4 

The Ravens Celebrate 100 

The Nurses’ Experience 

7 

Alumna in the Spotlight 

Dorothy (Dottie) Kluttz, BSN ’66 

8 

Worth Noting 

News from the School of Nursing 

14Making the Rounds 

Around Grounds: Nursing 

Student Life in 2004 

18 

From the Boardroom 

News from the Nursing Alumni 

Association 

Departments 

2 President’s Letter 

6 Philanthropy 

20 Events in Review 

24 Class Notes and News 

Back Cover Calendar 

The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004 3

The 

100 

Ravens 

Celebrate 



Founded in 1904, the Raven 

Society is the oldest and most 

prestigious honorary society at the 

University of Virginia. It is also 

unique to the University, taking its 

name in honor of the most famous 

poem of the University’s most 

famous poet, Edgar Allan Poe. The 

Raven Society has a distinguished 

history. 

See more about the Raven Society at 

http://www.student.virginia.edu/~ravens/ 

By Dr. Barbara M. Brodie, 

Madge M. Jones Professor of 

Nursing Emeritus 

Icame to the University in the 

summer of 1970. As a new faculty 

member, I was surprised to learn 

from President Edgar Shannon at a 

faculty orientation that this was a very 

special time in the history of the 

University of Virginia. What made it 

so special, he noted, was that women 

had just been admitted into the 

College of Arts and Sciences as firstyear 

students. Several new nursing 

faculty members left this meeting 

wondering what we might encounter 

as female faculty working in an institution 

that was predominantly male 

for so long. 

Our concern proved unwarranted. 

The 1970s were a wonderful time to 

be at the University. There was excitement 

in the air and changes were 

sweeping throughout the faculty, 

schools, and the University. In short 

order it became obvious to all that the 

women admitted into the College were 

extremely bright, creative, and quick 

to assume leadership positions across 

the Grounds. 

There were many instances of 

women at the University before 1970, 

dating back to the early 1900s. 

Daughters of U.Va. faculty members 

transferred to the University as upperclassmen, 

or were admitted as graduate 

students. There is ample documentation 

of female teachers attending 

graduate programs, and a woman was 

admitted to the medical school in the 

mid-1920s. But the most notable 

example of a large group of women 

being educated at the University were 


the student nurses enrolled in the 

University of Virginia Hospital School 

of Nursing. 

In 1901, the Board of Visitors, 

responding to a request from the 

School of Medicine, built a hospital to 

serve the educational needs of medical 

students. Following the lead of other 

American hospitals of the era, medical 

faculty quickly moved to create a hospital-based 

School of Nursing. The 

school was initiated primarily to 

I find this early admission 

of women by the Raven 

Society to be refreshingly 

open and generous, and a 

wonderful testimony to the 

Raven members of the time. 

acquire the services of student nurses 

to provide patient care, and, secondarily, 

to train young women to become 

nurses. It is interesting to note that 

the education of student nurses was 

not considered an academic endeavor 

but rather, training women to care for 

the ill was considered a vocational task 

because everyone knew that caring was 

inherent in the character of a woman. 

It would take many years of struggle 

before the nursing faculty, in 1950, 

persuaded President Darden, the 

University faculty, and the Board of 

Visitors that professional nursing 

requires college education for its practitioners. 

Finally, in 1956 the School of 

Nursing was created as one of the 

University’s 10 independent academic 

schools. 

As a new faculty member in 1970 I 

quickly learned about the rich traditions 

of the University’s organizations 

and societies, including the Raven 

RAVEN SOCIETY BRIEFS 

There are currently 10 

student Ravens and seven 

faculty Ravens, and more 

than 140 nursing alumni 

who belong to this distinguished 

honor society. 

After graduation, only one 

alumna or alumnus may be 

elected to membership each 

year from the School of 

Nursing. 

Each year, eight nursing 

students become members. 

Only four faculty members 

from the University are 

elected each year, therefore 

elections of nursing faculty 

members do not occur each 

year. 

Society. Many of the brightest and 

most committed to the University of 

my male colleagues were Ravens, and 

from them I learned of the public 

activities of the Raven Society. 

Founded in 1904, the Raven Society 

brings together students, faculty, 

administrators, and alumni who have 

proven themselves academically outstanding 

and who demonstrate a 

strong commitment to the University. 

Recently, I decided to explore when 

women were admitted to the Raven 

Society. After examining the official 

Raven Society papers in the 

University’s archives at Alderman 

Library, I found there were no women 

admitted into the organization, either 

as students or faculty, between 1904 

and 1970. However, it is clear that the 

Raven Society made a deliberate move 

to open its membership to qualified 

women in 1970. To do so, the society 

had to waive its traditional requirement 

that undergraduate candidates 

be at the University at least two years 

prior to being considered for membership. 

I find this early admission of 

women by the Raven Society to be 

refreshingly open and generous, and a 

wonderful testimony to the Raven 

members of the time. 

In 1970 four women were admitted 

into the Raven Society. Patricia 

Cloonan (Prentiss), then a third-year 

nursing student, was the first undergraduate 

admitted. Sue Glacking 

Dillport, a second-year student from 

the Law School, Barbara Lynn Smith 

from the Education School, and Judith 

Malene Wellman from the Graduate 

School of Arts & Sciences were the 

first women graduate students to 

become Ravens in 1970. 

From this time on, female students 

were admitted in greater numbers and 

quickly became officers in the Raven 

Society and in other University organizations. 

Interestingly, some of the 

organizations they joined and positions 

they held were often ones they 

created themselves. 

To complete the early story of nurses 

being admitted into the Raven Society, 

Betty Norman Norris, a faculty member 

at the School of Nursing, was 

inducted in 1977. 

This year, on the occasion of their 

100th birthday, I join with my fellow 

Ravens in congratulating the University 

of Virginia’s oldest and most prestigious 

honorary society. The long list of 

Raven members includes such prominent 

leaders as President Woodrow 

Wilson, numerous state governors and 

national legislators, leaders in science, 

industry, education, engineering, medicine, 

nursing, the humanities, and the 

military. It is an organization that, for 

100 years, has helped create the distinguished 

academic and personal 

standards of U.Va. students, alumni, 

and faculty. 


PHILANTHROPY 

Play Along 

EACH YEAR, YOUNG ALUMNI donors 

are an important ingredient in the Nursing 

Annual Fund’s success. No matter what size 

gift they make, they all are committed to 

helping the U.Va. School of Nursing make a 

difference in the world. We celebrate the 

unique contributions — and the similarities 

— of these young donors in a game we 

like to call “Six Degrees of Donation.” 

Christa 

Janowski 

Hartch (BSN ’97) 

– As a student, Christa 

was president of Nursing 

Student Council. She still dabbles in 

politics in her hometown of Greenwich, 

Connecticut. A mother of two, Christa has 

found time to squeeze in a teaching stint, 

like Bridget Kuczkowski. Role model 

Her first U.Va. clinical instructor, 

Carolyn Eddins. 

Pam 

Baker DeGuzman 

(BSN ’96) – Quadruple Hoo, 

who enjoys wearing her orange. 

After earning her BA, BSN, MSN and 

MBA, she’s now a manager at the U.Va. 

medical center. She loves getting to see 

nursing grads and faculty during her 

workday. Family: Husband Darryl and 

baby Zoe. Served on Nursing 

Student Council 

with Christa 

Hartch. 

Bridget 

Kuczkowski (BSN ’01, 

MSN ’02) – Bridget’s brother, 

Alex, is married to Margie Kuczkowski. 

Bridget is tying the knot with fellow Wahoo 

Peter Leary this summer. An active and founding 

member of Nursing Students Without 

Borders, she lived in Spain for seven 

months after earning her MSN. 

Recently joined Marisa 

Kozlowski, BSN ’99, on 

U.Va’s Young Alumni 

Council. Works as a public 

health nurse and 

instructor at VCU. 

6ºMargie 

Six 

Degrees 

of 

Donation 

Angie 

Thompson Sutton 

(BSN ’94, MSN ’99) – Like 

Pam DeGuzman, Angie held leadership 

roles at the School of Nursing. She 

was president of her class and of Student 

Nurses of Virginia, U.Va. chapter. 

A fan of scrapbooking 

and traveling, this acute 

care nurse practitioner 

is preparing to move 

with her family to 

Raleigh, NC. 

McHale Kuczkowski (BSN ’99) 

– Enjoys athletics like Samantha 

Franz. Her pick: coed floor hockey. 

Margie works in the Georgetown NICU, 

but in her spare time is fixing up her Falls 

Church home and volunteering at the 

local elementary school. As a 2004 

Reunion volunteer, she is busy 

preparing for U.Va.’s June 

gathering of alumni. 

Samantha 

McDonald Franz 

(BSN ’95, MSN ’00) – 

Another nurse practitioner, but 

specializing in family care. Ran her 

fifth marathon in November, and now 

has a baby on the way. Younger sister, 

Heather, is a U.Va. nursing grad, too. 

Favorite U.Va. tradition: 

hypnotist Tom 

Deluca. 

6 

The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004

ALUMNA IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

Join the Circle! 

The Dean’s Circle, that is. We offer 

this special opportunity to the 

BSN classes of 1992 through 2003. 

Your gift (as outlined below) will 

qualify you for all benefits of membership 

in the prestigious Dean’s Circle 

gift society, normally offered exclusively 

to alumni and friends making 

gifts of $1,000 or more annually. This 

includes special correspondence from 

the school, as well as invitations to 

special events like the elegant 

Benefactor’s dinner (where that little 

black dress from college formals will 

finally come in handy again!). 

• Classes of 1999–2003 qualify with 

a gift of $250 

• Classes of 1992–1998 qualify with 

a gift of $500 

Month-by-month credit card or bank 

account deductions are easy to 

arrange. Corporate matching gifts 

from your or your spouse’s employer 

can help you qualify. 

If the Dean’s Circle is beyond your 

means, remember every gift helps! 

Participation each year in the Nursing 

Annual Fund is what counts. The 

Annual Fund provides crucial funding 

for scholarships, fellowships, research, 

and programmatic support at the 

School of Nursing. In one way or 

another, you likely benefited from the 

Annual Fund as a student. Your generosity 

as alumni is helping to prepare 

new outstanding U.Va. nurses. 

Thank you! 

Dorothy (Dottie) Kluttz 

BSN Class of 1966 

The healing arts have always been 

integral to Dottie Kluttz, and 

recently led her to a creative and 

meaningful position with Hospice 

Savannah in Savannah, Georgia. Three 

years ago, after an 11-year stint as a 

hospice nurse listening to her patients’ 

life stories, Kluttz created a new position 

as “story keeper.” She conducts 

interviews with hospice patients and 

presents the written transcript and 

audio recording to their families, 

usually after the patients’ death. 

Capturing some life stories can take 

several months, with a series of 30- to 

60-minute interviews. To facilitate the 

process, Kluttz asks patients to complete 

a worksheet, outside of their time 

together, that identifies happiest times, 

proudest moments, and even difficult 

periods in their lives. “It is very healing 

to review one’s life,” she explains, 

“to look back and say, ‘I did this well. I 

had this challenge and I overcame it. 

And maybe I didn’t do some things 

well, but I learned from them and I 

survived.’” For family members, the 

recorded history can be illuminating as 

well as moving, since they often hear 

about an experience in the person’s life 

for the very first time. 

Kluttz also helps create special messages 

from parents to their children at 

pivotal occasions such as graduations 

and marriages. While the parent is no 

longer physically present, his or her 

words can still resonate. “Having that 

person’s voice is so important,” she 

emphasizes. “It’s so great on your wedding 

day to hear your mother’s words.” 

Positive feedback about Kluttz’s 

work has extended from her family, to 

her local Hospice colleagues, and all 

the way to the national colloquy on 

palliative care. In fact, the first life 

story she recorded was her husband, 

Dottie Kluttz with Hospice Savannah patient 

and storykeeper participant, Ken Boice. 

Jim’s, also a graduate of the University, 

in honor of his birthday. The couple 

continues to document their life, 

choosing events and milestones to 

recount each month. 

At Hospice Savannah, story keeping 

has seamlessly been integrated into the 

continuum of care. Along with music 

therapy, it serves as one of the healing 

arts, and staff referrals to Kluttz now 

include how story keeping will assist a 

particular patient. In addition to 

numerous presentations in Savannah, 

Kluttz has recently spoken at the 

Georgia Hospice Organization Annual 

Symposium in Atlanta, and the 

National Hospice and Palliative Care 

Organization (NHPCO) clinical team 

conference in Las Vegas. 

Kluttz draws from her own nursing 

education and career, primarily as a 

nurse educator, which included positions 

at U.Va., Richmond Memorial 

Hospital School of Nursing, and 

Emory University. “If I arrive at a 

home and that person is in pain or 

having other problems, I can solve 

them quickly,” she says. “Nursing also 

developed my powers of observation, 

the ability to ask questions and to read 

non-verbal communication. It has 

helped in many ways.” 


WORTH NOTING 

Worth 

NOTING 

CCNE Accreditation 

Visit Successfully 

Completed 

Site visitors representing the 

Commission on Collegiate Nursing 

Education (CCNE) visited the School of 

Nursing October 1 through 3, 2003. 

The commission is an autonomous 

accrediting agency officially recognized 

by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a 

national accreditation agency. The 

CCNE’s focus on ensuring the quality 

and integrity of baccalaureate and 

graduate education nursing programs 

contributed to the school’s decision to 

select CCNE accreditation, rather than 

continuing the accreditation we have 

had with the NLNAC. 

The CCNE Board of Commissioners 

will make final accreditation decisions 

in April 2004. We anticipate receiving 

accreditation approval, to last 10 years. 

Concurrent with the CCNE site visit, 

two representatives of the Virginia 

Board of Nursing reviewed our undergraduate 

program. The School of 

Nursing has been granted full approval 

from the Virginia Board of Nursing for 

eight years. 

All visitors shared their praise in 

many areas, including the school’s 

committed and enthusiastic faculty, 

excellent students and graduates who 

speak clearly of their positive experience, 

our history of listening to student 

concerns and making changes, our 

strong and positive relationship with 

the Medical Center, and our faculty’s 

involvement in the University. 

He’s No Dummy 

Reba Moyer Childress finally got 

her man … -nequin. 

Childress, director of the School of 

Nursing’s Laboratories for Clinical 

Learning, first came across the 

SimMan patient simulator more than 

two years ago at a clinical simulation 

conference in San Antonio, Texas, and 

it was love at first sight. “I’ve been 

coveting him ever since,” she said. 

For two years, she scraped together 

nickels and dimes. Finally, word came 

last fall that she would receive grant 

money from the University’s 

Equipment Trust Fund to make the 

$44,450 purchase. SimMan—and a 

few suitcases worth of high-tech baggage—arrived 

over the winter break 

and moved into the Theresa A. 

Thomas Intensive Care Simulation 

Laboratory in McLeod Hall. Though 

there are more than 750 SimMan simulators 

in use worldwide, U.Va.’s 

model is the first purchased by a 

Virginia public institution for use by 

both undergraduate and graduate 

nursing students. 

The mannequin—which actually 

can be adapted to be either male or 

female—certainly stands out in the 

crowd of simulators (including three 

full-length models and several other 

“parts”) in the beds around it, most of 

which date back to the lab’s opening 

in 1995. 

SimMan may be a mannequin, but 

he’s no dummy. He’s sophisticated, 

powered by a Dell laptop computer 

and an air compressor that provides 

remarkably lifelike breathing. He’s a 

great communicator, with an array of 


WORTH NOTING 

pre-programmed vocalisms (“My chest 

hurts, and I can’t breathe”) and the 

capability to record an unlimited number 

of customized phrases. And he lets 

you know how he feels in other ways, 

too; he can be hooked up to a touchscreen 

patient monitor, and nursing 

students can check his carotid, radial, 

and femoral pulses, and listen to realistic 

heart, breathing, and bowel sounds. 

He can take a lot of abuse, with ports 

for IV hookups and defibrillators, plus 

anatomically correct parts for chest 

tube insertions and catheterization. 

He is, however, fairly sickly. He is 

prone to cardiac and pulmonary problems. 

Faculty programmers can cook 

up any number of patient-care scenarios 

on the laptop to be played out by 

students at the bedside. He can simulate 

a wide variety of symptoms — his 

handheld remote control has buttons 

for “cough, “moan” and “vomit,” and 

he can develop lockjaw or a swollen 

tongue at the stroke of a key, making 

intubations much more difficult. 

“He does bite,” warned Joe Huse, a 

medical education specialist with 

SimMan’s manufacturer, Laerdal 

Corp., at a February open house for 

faculty, staff, and students. 

Childress and Huse eagerly showed 

off SimMan’s capabilities to an evershifting 

crowd of curious colleagues. His 

chest rose and fell with labored breathing 

as the heart-rate monitor beeped at 

varying paces. He coughed and moaned, 

complaining, “I’m so sick.” 

Most visitors seemed content to 

keep their distance, despite Childress’ 

urging to try some hands-on nursing. 

Finally, a brave soul approached, 

stethoscope in hand. 

“Go away!” an irritable SimMan 

ordered, obviously wary of being 

poked and prodded. 

Soon, Childress had a few visitors 

responding to a pre-programmed crisis. 

His heart rate was up, but his oxygen 

levels were falling. Nurses made 

suggestions for altering his care, and 

the responses caused changes in his 

symptoms. 

That’s the attraction of SimMan, 

Childress said. “It doesn’t just teach 

individual skills. When you look at the 

basic acquisition of clinical skills, 

there’s generally a mannequin for this 

and a mannequin for that. The whole 

point of SimMan is to provide an integrated 

experience. It’s very holistic, 

especially in light of the fact that you 

can communicate with him. 

“He’s not one-task oriented. You’re 

not just performing skills, but employing 

critical thinking.” 

SimMan’s effectiveness in educating 

registered nurses will be tracked in a 

three-year, multi-site study being 

sponsored by the National League for 

Nursing and by Laerdal. U.Va. was 

selected as one of eight sites (from a 

field of 156) to participate. Childress 

has already written a cardiac-crisis scenario 

for her second-year nursing 

students to tackle as part of the study. 

She can videotape their responses and 

gather the data generated by their 

efforts for later review. 

At the open house, the would-be 

lifesavers, distracted by more demonstrations 

of SimMan’s capabilities, 

neglected his care and he flat-lined, 

only to be revived with a few clicks of 

a mouse. 

New arrivals marveled at his features. 

“He’s got bowel sounds” a 

professor asked admiringly. 

As the crowd dwindled, two more 

adventuresome souls tackled the preprogrammed 

scenario. They upped the 

oxygen being fed through his nose, 

and his vital signs stabilized. 

“Thanks, nurse. You saved my life,” 

he said. 

What a charmer. 

Former Faculty and 

Graduate Honored 

In November, Patty Hale (MSN ‘86, 

FNP ‘96) was named one of four 

national winners of 2003 U.S. 

Professors of the Year Awards from the 

Council for 

Advancement and 

Support of 

Education (CASE) 

and the Carnegie 

Foundation for the 

Advancement of 

Teaching. Hale, a 

U.Va. faculty 

member from 

1986 to 1997, has 

taught nursing at 

Lynchburg College 

in Lynchburg, Virginia, since 1997. She 

is the first nursing professor to win the 

award in the 22-year history of the 

awards program. 

Dr. Kenneth Garren, president of 

Lynchburg College, said, “Dr. Hale is a 

most deserving recipient of this national 

honor. She embodies Lynchburg 

College’s century-long commitment to 

scholarship, community, and leadership. 

Her students thrive under her 

rigorous standards and caring nature, 

and continue to benefit from her example 

long after graduation.” 

Congratulations, Patty! 


WORTH NOTING 

Supporting and 

Recruiting Men in 

Nursing 

Unlimited professional opportunities, 

in countless settings, make nursing 

a very favorable and exciting career 

choice. Why wouldn’t anyone want to 

become a nurse with those types of 

options As the face of health care continues 

to evolve, so does the face of 

nursing. 

Men in nursing are one of the profession’s 

best-kept secrets. According to the 

March 2000 National Sample Survey of 

Registered Nurses, 5.4 percent of the 

nation’s 2.7 million registered nurses are 

men. In an attempt to encourage more 

men to join the ranks of nursing and 

publicize the profession, Men in Nursing 

(MIN) was developed. 

MIN is a new student organization at 

the U.Va. School of Nursing, designed to 

increase the visibility of men in nursing, 

support the career development of men 

who want to become nurses, and promote 

men’s health issues. 

The members of MIN identified these 

objectives from the American Assembly 

of Men in Nursing: to encourage and 

implement strategies for the recruitment 

of men in nursing at U.Va.; support 

career development for male nursing 

students at U.Va.; and promote the 

research of men’s health issues. 

Founding members (L to R) Michael Cary, 

Gabriel Henderson, Brad Langdon, Alan 

Young, and Michael Miller. 

New Advisory Board Chair Steps In 

Jim Roberts passes the gavel to Lucien Bass. 

Lucien L. Bass III 

has big shoes to 

fill, but then, he’s the 

right man for the job. 

In November 2003, 

Bass assumed the role 

as chair of the School 

of Nursing Advisory 

Board, leading a 

group of dedicated 

volunteers who devote 

significant time and 

energy to help the 

nursing school achieve 

its goals. “The School 

of Nursing is one of 

U.Va.’s centers of 

excellence, and is 

poised to become a national leader during 

the coming decade,” Bass said 

upon picking up the chairman’s reins. 

“I want the board to do what it can to 

advance that effort.” 

Bass, who retired in 1997 as Senior 

Director for International Development 

with R. J. Reynolds Tobacco 

International, returned to Charlottesville 

with his wife, Mary, in 2000 and 

stepped into a new life as a teacher, 

sharing his professional expertise with 

a new generation of students in the 

McIntire School of Commerce. He has 

been deeply involved in many other 

aspects of University life for more 

than a decade, serving as president of 

the Virginia Engineering Foundation 

and on the board of the Darden 

Foundation, as well as numerous panuniversity 

task forces and commissions, 

including serving on the executive 

committee of the Campaign for 

Virginia. “We are indeed fortunate that 

Lucien has turned his attention to the 

needs of the School of Nursing,” 

reflected Dean Jeanette Lancaster. 

“His expertise and experience will be 

invaluable in the coming years.” 

Bass replaces James C. Roberts, a 

charter member of the school’s leadership 

board who also served as its chair 

from 1997 to 2003. 

Roberts, an attorney in Richmond 

and the proud parent of a two-time 

U.Va. nursing graduate, left his own 

indelible impression on the School of 

Nursing. During Roberts’ tenure on 

the Advisory Board, the School of 

Nursing’s first fund-raising campaign 

garnered a record $19.1 million in 

philanthropic commitments, and significant 

portions of that success can 

be traced to his efforts. In addition, 

he is credited with developing the 

school’s Advisory Board into one of 

the most effective volunteer groups on 

the University Grounds. An untiring 

advocate whose wise and tenacious 

leadership skills are both widely recognized 

and respected, Roberts was 

named an honorary alumnus of the 

School of Nursing in 2001. 

Not yet willing to move entirely to 

the sidelines, Roberts has recently 

accepted charter membership on the 

new Virginia Health Foundation board. 

In addition, he has accepted emeritus 

membership on the School of Nursing 

Advisory Board, where his wise counsel 

will continue to be valued. 


WORTH NOTING 

Online Master’s Program Trains Nurse Leaders from Underserved Rural Areas 

Erin Cruise, who supervises the 

school health program in 

Montgomery County, has long sought 

a master’s degree in nursing. 

“A lot of people on the job see me as 

a resource,” she said. “I thought I 

needed more education.” 

The problem: with a staff of eight 

part-timers serving 9,000 students at 

22 schools, there wasn’t much time left 

over on weekdays to enroll in a fulltime 

master’s program. 

“I thought I might have to make a 

choice between quitting my job and 

getting my master’s,” she said. 

The solution: the School of 

Nursing’s new online master’s program 

for Leadership in Community and 

Public Health, and Health Systems 

Management. Cruise could work at her 

Dublin home at night and on weekends, 

while making only two day trips 

to Charlottesville per semester. 

The program was funded by a threeyear, 

$693,000 grant from the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services’ Health Resources and Services 

Administration. Charlottesville-based 

professors redesigned and enhanced 

their curriculum for online use, assigning 

readings, papers, exams and online 

discussions. 

The two-year program should be 

especially helpful for nurses like 

Cruise, who work full-time in oftenunderserved 

rural areas, said Doris 

Glick, an associate professor of nursing 

and director of the master’s program. 

Another student, Janice Drum of 

Galax, said she initially had some reservations 

about online education. “I had 

always been skeptical about online programs. 

People don’t think you get the 

same quality of education.” 

Nevertheless, Drum—who is busy 

managing 21 nurses and 13 beds as 

manager of the emergency department 

at Twin County Regional Hospital— 

joined the program’s charter sevenmember 

class in Fall 2003. The 

quality of the education has been a 

pleasant surprise, Drum said. “It has 

been difficult, very challenging. It’s 

been wonderful—so intellectually 

stimulating.” 

Said Glick, “The quality of the program 

is the same as the regular 

in-class program—the same admissions 

requirements, the same course 

requirements.” Both the community 

and public health leadership and 

health systems management programs 

have incorporated concepts of leadership 

in their curricula and are adding 

content about emergency preparedness, 

Glick said. 

The feedback from students has 

been excellent thus far, she said, and 

the interaction has been as good as, or 

better than, classroom discussions. “If 

I ask a class a question, they respond 

in a short period of time,” she noted. 

“If I ask online, they take their time to 

answer, and the answers are usually 

better thought-out.” 

For additional information on 

the program, please call 

Associate Nursing Professor 

Doris Glick, director of the 

master’s program, at 

(434) 924-0105, or via 

e-mail at dfg6x@virginia.edu. 

Research Impacting Education and Practice 

The online options allows 

Southwest Virginia residents 

Erin Cruise, left, and Janice 

Drum to continue their 

nursing careers while 

working toward master’s 

degrees. 

Research projects undertaken by U.Va. 

nursing faculty illustrate the depth 

and breadth of interests and expertise in 

the School of Nursing, not to mention 

the needs of patients throughout the 

health care spectrum. 

Last summer, Associate Professor 

Pamela Kulbok received almost 

$40,000 from the Virginia Youth Tobacco 

Project to study “Protective Factors and 

Youth Nonsmoking Behavior.” The 

major goal of this one-year study is to 

identify individual and environmental 

factors and associated belief and value 

structures related to nonsmoking behavior 

in adolescents, particularly in young 

people from ethnically and socio-economically 

diverse backgrounds. The identification 

of these factors will contribute 

to the development of innovative health 

promotion and disease prevention efforts 

to reduce tobacco use among children 

and adolescents in Virginia. 

Vickie Southall, a nursing instructor, 

participated in a March of Dimes minigrant 

with the Thomas Jefferson Health 

District. Students in her course helped 

implement parts of the grant, including 

helping to conduct an immunization 

audit at elementary schools, creating an 

immunization bulletin board at the 

Louisa Health Department, and developing 

printed materials for an elementary 

school health fair. 

The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004 

11

WORTH NOTING 

Service to the School 

Honored 

Two significant transitions within the 

School of Nursing took place in 

recent months. We acknowledge the 

many contributions of two faculty leaders 

who have done so much for 

students and colleagues. 

In the fall of 2003, Barbara Parker 

stepped down as director of the Center 

for Nursing Research. Parker had served 

in this role since 1995. An expert 

researcher in her own right, Parker 

organized the infrastructure within the 

school to support other faculty as well 

as doctoral students. A search is currently 

under way to find a replacement 

for this important position. 

Judy Sands and Sarah Farrell. 

In December 2003, Judy Sands 

stepped down as director of the undergraduate 

program. Sands, who joined 

the school’s faculty in 1984 and who 

served as director of the BSN program 

for 12 of those years, handed the reins 

to Associate Professor Sarah Farrell in 

January. At a celebration in her honor, 

the dean commented, “her commitment 

to excellence, her integrity and 

honesty, and her passion for undergraduate 

education are invaluable.” 

Both Parker and Sands remain on 

faculty. 

Leading Local Collaboration Aimed at Increasing, 

Diversifying Pool of Nurses 

Virginia is currently experiencing a 

10 percent shortage in its nursing 

workforce, and that figure is expected 

to rise to 36.4 percent by 2020, threatening 

access to health care across the 

Commonwealth, according to figures 

compiled by the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services. 

In 2003, U.Va. received a three-year, 

$651,153 federal grant to fund a collaborative, 

two-pronged effort aimed at 

deepening and diversifying the local 

pool of professional nurses. The funding, 

from the Health and Human 

Services’ Health Resources and Services 

Administration, will go mostly toward 

increasing faculty resources at both the 

U.Va. School of Nursing and Piedmont 

Virginia Community College (PVCC). 

Local hospitals, including the U.Va. 

Medical Center and Martha Jefferson 

Hospital in Charlottesville, the Augusta 

Medical Center in Fishersville and 

Western State Hospital in Staunton, 

will also provide resources to support 

the clinical training of additional nursing 

students. 

“This is the first time that a partnership 

in problem-solving for nursing has 

included the U.Va. Medical Center plus 

the regional health-care institutions that 

are the consumers of nursing education,” 

said Judith K. Sands, associate 

professor of nursing at U.Va. and project 

director for the grant. “It is also the 

first time that all institutions have volunteered 

to help solve education’s very 

real dilemmas in being able to serve a 

larger group of well-qualified students 

by supporting faculty positions.” 

The grant seeks to increase the number 

of professional-level nurses through 

two paths: encouraging certified nurse 

aides (CNAs) to seek additional training 

through courses at PVCC, which 

will offer more night and weekend 

options; and increasing admission to a 

two-year, second-degree program at the 

School of Nursing for those who have 

received bachelor’s degrees in other academic 

disciplines. 

CNA positions are considered entrylevel 

on the nursing career ladder. Most 

CNAs have a high school diploma and 

received their training either in vocational 

education programs or through 

programs offered by some hospitals. 

The grant seeks to identify the most 

promising CNAs in the local community, 

encourage them to enter PVCC’s 

nursing program, and offer them mentorship. 

“There are people in the CNA pool 

who, for whatever reason, have potential 

that has not been tapped,” Sands said. 

“We hope the program will help us 

achieve some diversity in the nursing 

profession,” said Amy Black, vice president 

and chief nursing executive at 

Martha Jefferson Hospital. “I’m really 

excited about the career counseling 

aspect of it. It should help us tap into 

some populations that don’t traditionally 

think of nursing as a career.” 

PVCC’s program, which has traditionally 

required a full-time, daytime 

commitment, will offer new night and 

weekend options to allow students to 

continue working while pursuing an 

associate’s degree. The expansion will 

allow Piedmont to graduate an additional 

20 to 30 registered nurses each 

year, most of whom will remain in the 

local community, said PVCC President 

Frank Friedman. “This grant is another 

example of how our community 

benefits from the tremendous partnership 

between PVCC and U.Va.,” 

Friedman said. 

Sands noted that minorities constitute 

38 percent of CNAs, and said she 

hopes that many will take advantage of 

12 

The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004

WORTH NOTING 

a chance to move up the career ladder. 

Both locally and nationally, the number 

of minorities “drops off precipitously” 

at the higher rungs of nursing’s professional 

ladder. 

The second thrust of the program is 

boosting the U.Va. School of Nursing’s 

annual enrollment of Second Degree 

candidates from 32 to 48. This enrollment 

increase has already begun. 

“We felt an obligation to work with 

our education and health-care partners 

to increase the number of new nurses 

being prepared,” said Jeanette 

Lancaster, dean of the School of 

Nursing. “The enthusiastic cooperation 

demonstrated in the development of 

this grant by the Medical Center, 

Martha Jefferson Hospital and 

Piedmont Virginia Community College 

was absolutely inspiring.” 

This is the 13th year that the nursing 

school has offered a two-year 

degree program to students who have 

already earned bachelor’s degrees in 

other fields. Besides the expanded 

enrollment, the grant will allow the 

school to rearrange its curriculum to 

Distinguished Majors Program 

make it more attractive for working students, 

although it will still require a 

full-time commitment. 

The Second Degree students are 

generally more mature than those who 

enter the school as first-year students, 

Sands said, and a higher percentage 

remain in the community after earning 

their BSN degrees. 

Once the initial federal grant establishes 

the new programs, Sands hopes 

the local hospitals will continue to sustain 

it. 

Pamela F. Cipriano, chief clinical 

officer and chief nursing officer at the 

U.Va. Health System, said the program 

is an important solution to a major 

problem. 

“It is our goal to be leaders in 

addressing the nursing shortage that 

faces Virginia,” Cipriano said. “The 

U.Va. Medical Center is proud to be a 

part of this effort to prepare more registered 

nurses for the future. By pooling 

our talent and resources, we can create 

and model solutions to the nursing 

shortage not only for the Commonwealth, 

but also for the nation.” 

Nursing students who demonstrate superior academic performance are encouraged to 

apply for the Distinguished Majors Program (DMP), now in its third year. The program 

gives these academic and clinical leaders an opportunity to pursue a substantive 

project of their own devising, over and above the traditional course of study. Participating 

students are expected to submit a thesis of approximately 30 to 50 pages that demonstrates 

independent work of high quality. 

Examples of projects presented in academic year 2002-03 included Joanna 

Woersching’s (BSN ‘03) thesis titled “Earthquakes in El Salvador: A Descriptive Study of 

Health and Illness after a Natural Disaster.” One part of Woersching’s article was published 

in the Disaster Management and Response Journal and another has been submitted 

for consideration in the same journal. 

Acceptance into the program requires a cumulative GPA of 3.4, the submission of a 

thesis proposal outlining the project to be undertaken, and the approval of a faculty 

member willing to direct the project. Application to the DMP is made during the spring 

semester of the third year of the program. The final project will be reviewed by at least 

two faculty members and presented to faculty and students. Students who successfully 

complete the program meeting specific academic standards graduate with distinction or 

highest distinction (for a cumulative GPA higher than 3.75). 

Faculty Achievements 

Jeanette Lancaster, dean, has 

been named as president-elect of 

the American Association of Colleges 

of Nursing (AACN), and will serve as 

president in two years. The AACN is 

the national voice for America’s baccalaureate- 

and 

higher-degree nursing 

education 

programs. Lancaster 

also received the 

“American 

Association of 

Colleges of Nursing 

Government Affairs 

2003 Grassroots 

Star Award” in 

recognition of her 

dedication to 

advancing nursing education and 

research through public advocacy. This 

award was presented by the AACN’s 

President and Government Affairs 

Committee. 

Barbara Parker, professor of 

nursing, was named chair-elect of the 

American Academy of Nursing’s 

expert panel on violence. 

U.Va. Medical Center Professor of 

Nursing Courtney Lyder was the 

first nurse selected to give the Bernard 

Hohenberg Memorial Lecture (the 

only endowed lectureship in chronic 

wound care in the world) at the 

University of Pennsylvania School of 

Medicine, Department of 

Dermatology. Lyder was also selected 

to be the University of North Carolina 

at Chapel Hill’s SON Visiting Minority 

Scholar for 2004. 

The Virginia Legacy SPRING 2004 

13

COVER STORY 

Making the Rounds Around Grounds: 

Nursing Student Life in 2004 

Not everyone understands 

what goes into 

a nursing education. 

For students today it’s a life packed 

with tight schedules, rigorous classes, 

clinicals (an opportunity for students 

to utilize the classroom and laboratory 

skills they’ve learned in a clinical setting), 

patients, charts, exams, and 

study. It’s always been a life of close 

bonds and life-changing experiences. 

From the first day to the last, nursing 

students eat, sleep, breathe, and sometimes 

even dream nursing. As they 

progress through the program, they are 

together in every class. By their third 

and fourth year, juggling lectures and 

clinicals can be a little like hitting the 

10th mile in a 26-mile run. If they are 

in class all day, then their lunch hour is 

a run to the hospital to pick up the 

next day’s patient assignments. That 

night they read about the patient, 

study his or her disease and medications. 

The next day is full of patient 

care, journals, logs, and more study 

before the cycle starts again the 

next day. 

“Our students are just amazing,” 

says Theresa Carroll, PhD, assistant 

dean. “In their last semester, many traditional 

college students pick fairly 

easy courses. In comparison, the last 

seven weeks for a nursing student is 

called the synthesis practicum, a mentorship 

during which they are doing 

the work of a full-time nurse. Many of 

our Second Degree students are also 

married, with families. Imagine juggling 

all that responsibility.” 

So for many, stepping outside the 

intensity is important. Finding outlets, 

doing things they love—such as the 

student who plays viola in the 

University Symphony, the varsity 

cheerleader or the Madison House volunteer—gives 

them breathing space 

and time to escape the daily rigors. 

“We encourage it. We tell new students 

to take time to get adjusted, 

check the University out. We think 

you’ll be a happier person if you get 

involved,” says Carroll. “And research 

has shown that the more involved college 

students are, including nursing 

students, the better their grades are…it 

makes them better time managers and 

they are doing what they really love.” 

It seems the busier some students 

are, the more they love it. Here’s how 

four nursing school students balance 

their nursing education with University 

student life. 

Heidi Ritter 

It was September 11, the same morning 

Americans were stunned by images of 

flaming towers, that Heidi Ritter (BSN 

’04) put on her Air Force ROTC uniform 

and was sworn in to military 

service. “I’m a patriotic person and 

wanted to see what it was like,” she says. 

Heidi always knew she’d choose a 

profession serving people. But serving 

has taken on a life of its own and sometimes 

seems more like a way of life. 

She’s got an ongoing list of things she’d 

like to do, never convinced she’s doing 

quite enough. After her second year in 

nursing school she was in boot camp in 

Texas, so the next summer she and her 

sister traveled to Thailand teaching 

English to orphans. Last spring break 

and this year, volunteer work with 

Virginia Beach-based Orphan Network 

took her to Nicaragua. “I wanted to give 

Heidi Ritter. 

back,” she says. “Reaching out beyond 

this culture is very moving. I will 

always remember these experiences.” 

A typical day for Heidi begins at six 

in the morning with ROTC workouts, 

continuing long past dinner. Because 

of a required clinical she misses one 

Air Science class. So afternoons are 

spent meeting with her professor to 

catch up on what she missed. Then it’s 

a quick meal and evenings of ROTC 

training and meetings. She is part of a 

simulated wing structure and since 

she’s now considered a cadet officer, 

she supervises others. “The nursing 

school and ROTC have been flexible 

to meet my needs,” she says. “I’m able 

to manage all of this because of the 


supportive people I work with. I try to 

remain positive. It has been challenging, 

but it is worth it.” 

Seems like a full plate, but there’s 

more. Heidi’s part of the planning 

committee for the U.Va. Women’s 

Leadership Development Program. 

She serves on the nursing student 

council, is a member of Kappa Delta 

sorority, and still cherishes some relaxing 

alone time. “I’m the kind of person 

who values personal time and I realize 

I have to protect it sometimes,” she 

says, with the calmness of one who 

still has plenty of breathing space. 

“I’m still going to relax and write in 

my journal.” 

Becky Bracato 

There are days when Becky Bracato 

(BSN ’05) is physically and mentally 

exhausted. Take this past Wednesday. 

It started with an early morning stop 

at a friend’s house, followed by seven 

hours in class, three hours working at 

Ragged Mountain Running Shop, a 

several mile training run, and four 

hours volunteering for the University’s 

student-run Madison House (an 

“I’ve always been like this and I work 

well when I’m really busy.” 

A third-year nursing student, Becky 

heads volunteer health services for 

Madison House. In fact it was her 

work with the volunteer organization 

that led her to transfer into nursing 

education her second year. Assigned to 

volunteer in the hospital’s cancer center 

her first year at U.Va., she loved the 

work and patient contact. “It solidified 

my decision,” she says. Her passion for 

nursing has only grown as a result. 

“It’s gotten better with each year and 

each clinical,” she says. “I fall in love 

with it every time.” Since her first volunteer 

assignment, she’s taken on 

increasing responsibility with Madison 

House and in her current position 

supervises volunteers working in twenty 

different units. “It involves a lot of 

management problem-solving, but I 

love it,” she says. 

Is there any time for fun Sure, 

Becky says with confidence. “I run for 

three hours with friends every 

Saturday and I ran the Richmond 

marathon this year.” 

So how does she juggle so much 

Time management, and desire. 

“Volunteering is so awesome,” she says. 

“Once you get involved, it enhances 

everything…I encourage people to 

think about volunteering, about stepping 

outside the U.Va. bubble.” 

Sarah Riggs 

Sometimes doing 

what you love 

comes so naturally, 

you can’t imagine a 

world without it. 

That’s how cheerleading 

is for 

third-year nursing 

student Sarah Riggs 

(BSN ’05). She’s been 

cheering since second 

grade, and now she’s 

on the University’s 

Varsity squad. 

Responsibilities 

including long, strenuous 

practice sessions, 

summer cheerleading 

camp, home 

basketball games, 

traveling with the 

football team to all 

their games, and public 

relations events just 

keep her more organized. 

It doesn’t matter 

Sarah Riggs. 

that clinicals begin at 6:30 

a.m. and cheerleading practice begins 

12 hours later. It’s just part of being 

involved. Although she admits, academics 

come first. “If I didn’t have 

cheerleading to keep me busy, I wouldn’t 

continued on page 16 

Sarah Riggs and 

Connor Ginley. 

Becky Bracato. 

organization that enables students to 

volunteer in the community). Still, 

there’s nothing she’d change. 

“”Everything that’s on my plate is definitely 

where it should be,” she says. 


COVER STORY 

continued from page 16 

get everything else done,” she says. 

Student life is good for Sarah. 

Blending the intimacy of the nursing 

school with much more public endeavors 

like cheerleading and weekly Delta 

Gamma sorority meetings in some ways 

colors her nursing experience. “I can’t 

imagine not being involved, it makes 

me feel part of the bigger university picture,” 

she says. “I meet so many people 

and I have so many opportunities to 

interact with a variety of types … that 

gives me a better bedside manner.” 

Even so, balancing two clinicals with 

games and practice can challenge even 

the most ardent organizer; so when the 

nursing school offered a condensed 

May clinical experience, she was quick 

to pick that option. That way she can 

devote more intensive time to her clinical 

practice. “I want to be an obstetrics 

nurse.” she says. “Having the opportunity 

to do my next clinical in May, after 

most cheering obligations are complete, 

works out well.” 

Connor Ginley 

Third-year 

Connor 

Ginley’s (BSN 

’05) schedule is 

pretty tough 

this year with 

class and clinicals. 

But his mother is an emergency 

room nurse, so he’s been around the 

profession all his life and understands 

nursing education rigors. He also 

understands the value of doing more 

than nursing, of stepping away from it 

from time to time; sometimes to help 

others, sometimes to just have fun. 

“This is an important time for me to 

develop all aspects of my life,” he 

says. “Between work and extracurriculars 

I stay pretty busy.” 

A couple of surgeries on his neck 

during his second year of college 

made Connor reevaluate his own life 

and decide on nursing education. “I 

was sure that I was eventually going 

to get a teaching degree and a nursing 

degree somewhere down the line,” he 

says. “So I decided there was no time 

like the present.” 

He’s volunteered as a medic with 

Nursing Students Without Borders 

for three years. As a member of the 

Delta chapter of the Alpha Tau 

Omega Fraternity, he’s been the chaplain, 

community service chair, and 

pledge master. Still, he admits his 

No. 1 priority in the fraternity is to 

have a good time. 

What motivates Connor’s involvement 

in University student life “I am 

at an amazing place with more opportunities 

than I will ever have time to 

sample, and I can be involved with 

passionate and dynamic people,” he 

says. “It all gives me a different perspective 

and I am able to relate to 

people in a more holistic way.” 

His advice to nursing students considering 

taking on more than just 

nursing “This is your university too, 

take some ownership in it, and try to 

have it all.” 

Hey, Hoos Out There 

If you’re looking for someone 

special, you can find your 

nursing friends and classmates 

when you visit 

HoosOnline.com, the official 

U.Va. online directory. 

Here are just some of the benefits to you: 

THE SECURE DIRECTORY 

a searchable list of all U.Va. alumni by region, profession, degree, etc. 

E-MAIL FORWARDING SERVICE 

a permanent forwarding address that lets you keep the same address for 

years to come, wherever you use or purchase your e-mail service. 

UNIVERSITY CAREER ASSISTANCE NETWORK (UCAN) 

do you need a mentor Would you like to be a mentor 

Find it all on the Web at www.hoosonline.com 

A free service to alumni, provided by the University Alumni Association, School of Nursing Alumni Association, and the University of Virginia. 


WORTH NOTING 

What About the Children Nursing Researchers Study Their Fates 

The story is all too familiar: A 

troubled relationship, an abusive 

partner, a disagreement, a lashing out, 

blood spilled. One dead, the other led 

away in handcuffs—or perhaps a 

suicide. 

What happens to the children, some 

of whom may even have witnessed the 

tragedy 

Richard H. Steeves, an associate 

professor of nursing who has studied 

bereavement for much of his career, 

said he was “shocked” to find that no 

one really knows. He and a colleague, 

Barbara J. Parker—a nursing professor 

and expert in domestic violence— 

searched for records to document the 

fate of children in such cases, and 

found none. 

So, armed with a three-year, 

$750,000 grant from the National 

Institute for Nursing Research (part of 

the National Institutes of Health), 

Parker and Steeves have embarked on 

their own study of the children of uxoricide—literally, 

the murder of one’s 

wife, but broadened to include the 

killing of one parent by another. 

They are seeking to interview adults 

who have lived through domestic 

homicide. Unfortunately, they believe 

that there will be no shortage of interviewees. 

By multiplying the number of 

domestic homicides among couples of 

child-bearing age each year by an average 

of two children, they estimate that 

there are approximately as many children 

of uxoricide—2,700—as there are 

children diagnosed with leukemia 

annually. 

A smaller pilot study conducted in 

the summer of 2002 turned up seven 

people from Central Virginia, including 

two pairs of siblings. Although 

Parker and Steeves declined to discuss 

their findings, for fear of prejudicing 

future interviews, they say that the 

response demonstrates that there are 

Researchers Barbara Parker and Rick Steeves. 

people who are willing to talk about 

their experiences. 

The new study will seek subjects 

from a wider geographical area. The 

parents need not have been married 

at the time of the homicide to be 

included; live-ins or ex-spouses 

qualify. The children can have been of 

any age when the killing occurred, 

they need not have any memory of 

the event itself. 

The U.Va. study is qualitative, not 

quantitative. Interviewers will ask 

open-ended questions and let the subjects 

guide the interview. And they 

need not talk about their parents’ 

deaths if they are not comfortable 

doing so. 

“We want to know what it was like 

for them to grow up after this trauma,” 

Steeves said. “We want them to 

tell us what is important.” 

When Parker and Steeves began 

looking into the fates of these children, 

they discovered that no one kept 

records—not the court system, not 

social service agencies. “These kids are 

not officially victims of crime, so they 

are not followed by victim support 

groups,” Parker said. 

Some are taken in by relatives; others 

enter the social service system. 

Some find stable homes; others “go 

from foster home to foster home,” 

Parker said. Often, the disposition of 

the children is not recorded. 

The researchers acknowledge that 

their results will not necessarily represent 

the full range of experiences that 

these children have, as they may end 

up interviewing only those people who 

are well-adjusted enough to be able to 

talk about their pasts. 

“The end result is finding out what 

kinds of intervention these kids need 

and when they need it,” Steeves said. 

“We just don’t know anything about 

these kids.” 

Anyone willing to be included in the study may 

call toll-free (866) 834-9564; (434) 243-6949 in 

the Charlottesville area; or contact the researchers 

via e-mail at homicide-study@virginia.edu. 


FROM THE BOARDROOM 

Faculty Excellence Honored 

The Nursing Alumni Association 

presented the Distinguished 

Professor Award to Richard Steeves, 

the Excellence in Teaching Award to 

Shelley Huffstutler, and the first annual 

Faculty Leadership Award to Suzanne 

Burns on November 1, 2003. 

The 2003 Distinguished Professor 

Award recognized superior accomplishments 

in teaching, research, and 

service. Steeves, an associate professor 

who has been at U.Va. since 1992, is 

an internationally recognized nurse 

scholar and researcher in the area of 

bereavement, and a dedicated teacher 

of nursing. His research has been funded 

by the Oncology Nursing Society, 

the National Institute of Nursing 

Research, and the National Institute on 

Aging, among others. Doctoral students 

praise his teaching skill and express 

great appreciation for his abilities to 

stimulate their interest in and knowledge 

of the clinical research process. He 

teaches undergraduate students at the 

Hospice of the Piedmont, where he nurtures 

developing nurses through a 

challenging clinical placement. 

On the Other End of the Line 

Shelley Huffstutler, 

2003 Excellence in 

Teaching awardee. 

In addition to his service to the 

School of Nursing, Steeves has served 

for years on a prestigious scientific 

review committee at the National 

Institutes of Health, reviewing training 

proposals. 

According to one letter of nomination, 

although internationally 

recognized for his research, “Rick is 

essentially an unassuming academic 

who is always open to learning something 

new and seeing things from a 

different perspective. He is a scholar of 

When you hear from the U.Va. Phonathon, 

the person on the other end of the phone 

line may be third-year nursing student Michelle 

Bennett from Lynchburg, Virginia. Michelle is calling 

with important information about the school, 

updating contact information, and asking you to 

contribute to the Nursing Annual Fund. 

Michelle decided to work for the Phonathon 

because she wanted the opportunity to interact 

with alumni. She truly appreciates the advice she 

receives about the school and job opportunities. 

Michelle is also the vice president of the Black 

Student Nurse’s Association and a member of the Nursing Student Council. 

Please join Michelle in our efforts to raise awareness and support for the school’s 

current needs and future endeavors. 

Rick Steeves, 2003 Distinguished Professor, 

with Cindi Allen, President, Nursing Alumni 

Association. 

Suzi Burns, 2003 Faculty 

Leadership awardee. 

the highest order and a nurse who puts 

principles of caring into practice for the 

benefit of us all.” 

The 2003 Excellence in Teaching 

Award was presented to Associate 

Professor Shelley Huffstutler. 

As director of the Primary Care Nurse 

Practitioner program, Huffstutler is 

responsible for overall programming in 

that advanced practice master’s option. 

She also teaches advanced practice seminars 

and clinicals throughout the year, 

pharmacology at the graduate level, and 

health assessment to undergraduates. 

Colleagues describe Huffstutler as a polished 

and proficient teacher with a 

wealth of clinical expertise from which to 

draw, enhancing learning opportunities 

for many students. Student evaluations 

of her courses are consistently exceptionally 

positive. To undergraduate students, 

Huffstutler presents an inspiring example 

of advanced practice nursing and 

encourages them to pursue graduate 

study. 

In 2003 the Alumni Association 

sponsored for the first time a faculty 

award that recognizes and supports a 

faculty member who is a leader in the 

profession. Recipients must demonstrate 

outstanding leadership qualities 

as a nursing professional, as evidenced 

by outstanding contributions to the 


FROM THE BOARDROOM 

profession through research, leadership 

positions, legislative influence, 

clinical service, or scholarly work. 

The recipient of the 2003 Faculty 

Leadership Award, Suzanne Burns, is 

described as the cornerstone of the 

Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. 

She models the role of 

practitioner-teacher each day to students 

seeking a career in advanced 

practice nursing. Burns has been 

involved in critical care for more than 

30 years and is well-known and highly 

respected for her contributions in 

patient care, nursing education, and 

improving health care systems. 

Burns has received national recognition 

from the American Association of 

Critical Care Nursing as Researcher of 

the Year, and serves on their board. In 

2002, Burns received a Presidential 

Citation from the Society of Critical 

Care Medicine for outstanding contributions 

and was inducted as a fellow in 

that organization. Burns is the inventor 

of the BWAP program, a tool to 

help clinicians determine when to safely 

and effectively wean patients from 

mechanical ventilation. 

As an educator, Burns provides clinical 

guidance and education within the 

UVA Health System through critical 

care programs and conferences, and for 

graduate nursing students. Nationally, 

she is involved in the development of 

standards of care for pulmonary 

patients. 

Comments from a colleague in the 

MICU colleague sum up her contributions 

most effectively: “The 

environment of the Medical ICU is 

different when Suzi is present. There 

is not a person here that she doesn’t 

affect when she is on the unit. She 

continually finds ways of bringing out 

the best in staff, and always focuses on 

the positive.” 

The Nursing Alumni Association 

congratulates all three recipients. 

Where Are They Now 

The Alumni Association is trying to locate the following members of classes who 

celebrate their Reunion in 2004. If you can help, please call (434) 924-0138, fax 

(434) 982-3699, or e-mail nursing-alumni@virginia.edu. Thank you! 

BSN 1959 

Jacqueline Ames 

Christman 

Amelia Stollings Cook 

Elspeth G. Scott 

DIPLOMA 1959 

Nancy Graves Pittman 

BSN 1964 

Margaret Ramsey 

Alhbrandt 

Barbara Bowery Carlson 

Alice Kyle Pounds 

Margaret D. Ramsey 

Betty Stephens Whitman 

Alumni Council Election 

DIPLOMA 1964 

Barbara Evans Worman 

BSN 1969 

Jane Draper Ayers 

Judith Robbins Barkana 

Anne C. Brown 

Marilyn Hansen King 

Carolyn Hodge Magee 

Linda Boggs Norman 

Sarah F. Reaves 

Sally Bell Schwarz 

Votes will be cast on June 5 at the annual business meeting of the Nursing 

Alumni Association for the election of the Awards Coordinator and 

Representative to the Virginia Legacy. 

If you cannot attend the meeting but would like to cast your vote, please 

return this ballot by June 5 to the U.Va. School of Nursing, Alumni & 

Development Office, PO Box 800782, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782. Or e-mail 

your vote to nursing-alumni@virginia.edu. 

❑ Awards Coordinator 

Kathryn Henley Haugh, BSN 1979 

(re-election to a second term) 

Kathryn has served on the U.Va. faculty since 1994, and has worked in the Health 

System since 1984. Currently she is assistant professor of nursing, her area of focus 

being adult medical-surgical nursing. 

❑ Representative to the Virginia Legacy 

Lisa Kelley, BSN 1999 

BSN 1974 

Pauline Diaz Hagan 

Melinda I. Mullenix 

Elizabeth M. Parrish 

Kathryn Hunting Servis 

Beth Hazel Turner 

BSN 1984 

Sharon G. Libby 

Jennifer A. Martin 

BSN 1994 

Dean Altizer Joyner 

Lynne Mary Zuercher 

Lisa earned her MSN/NP at Boston College in 2002. She is now working as a nurse 

practitioner with the HOPE group (a private hematology/oncology group). Lisa was 

the undergraduate representative to the Alumni Board of Directors while a student 

at U.Va. 

Return your ballot by June 5! 


FROM THE BOARDROOM 

Honoring the “Old School” Nurse—Mary Jane Morris 

When Beth Burn Joosten (BSN ’74) was approached by the editor of a collection 

of nurse stories to submit an essay, her immediate thought was of one 

nurse, Mary Jane Morris (Diploma ’42). 

“She was and is such a unique and 

remarkable influence on so many 

people’s lives, including mine,” 

Joosten explained. “Since 

the book went to press, 

I’ve had some misgivings 

about what I 

wrote. My memory of 

her might come across 

as trivial, especially in 

relation to all the other 

contributions she has 

made.” The art of nursing 

is just one facet of 

Morris, Joosten said, yet it is 

so important—perhaps more so 

today than ever before. 

Morris (right) working with a nursing student. 

Excerpt: 

Old School: Miss Mary Jane Morris 

By Elizabeth Burn Joosten 

Published by Sigma Theta Tau, International, Indianapolis, Indiana. The book “Ordinary People, 

Extraordinary Lives: The Stories of Nurses” can be purchased by calling toll-free (888) 634-7575 or 

visiting the Publications section at www.nursingsociety.org. 

She wasn’t our idea of today’s nurse. If anything, we would pass her in the hospital 

and be amazed there were any nurses still around like her. Seeing her walking 

erectly down the halls of the University of Virginia Medical Center, we considered 

her a throwback, the nurse of yesteryear who seemed to us novices to be out of 

place in the modern world of medicine where we now worked. 

…She was as particular about patient care as she was about her dress. …She 

would spend endless hours ensuring [the nursing assistants] learned how to make 

a proper bed, give a relaxing back rub, and patiently feed an elderly patient. We 

thought it was nice, but not really nursing. 

We doubted that she comprehended the complex technology we used daily. We 

wondered how someone could have survived in such a vacuum. …How could she 

remain so serenely confident and happy, teaching and doing the menial nursing 

tasks that she did daily and at her age 

And then one day, I was on a gurney being rolled back into my room after a 

tonsillectomy. She passed me, turned around, escorted me back to my room. She 

changed me immediately out of the hospital gown into my flannel nightgown. She 

fluffed my pillows. She spooned me ice chips. She made sure I had some pain 

medication. She adjusted the lighting so it wasn’t too bright. In that half-hour, she 

taught me about the art of nursing. She also made me a believer in and a practitioner 

of the special “art” of nursing. 

Nursing Alumni 

Working Together 

The mission of the U.Va. School 

of Nursing Alumni Association 

is to serve as a resource for nursing 

alumni by providing organizational 

support for endeavors that promote 

the professional and social 

bonds of members; and to work 

closely with and assist the School 

of Nursing through financial and 

organizational support to assist 

with scholastic and professional 

endeavors for alumni, students, 

and faculty. 

If you’d like to join our cause, 

there are a number of ways you 

can help. All graduates of the 

School of Nursing—diploma or 

baccalaureate, master’s, post-master’s, 

or PhD—are considered 

members of the Nursing Alumni 

Association. 

If you’re an alumna or alumnus 

with some free time, or you want 

to give back to your alma mater, or 

you just want to get involved with 

U.Va. (or any combination of 

these), there are opportunities 

available through the Nursing 

Alumni Association. You could: 

• Join our Local Alumni 

Volunteer list. 

• Become a Class Advocate. 

• Serve on the Virginia Legacy 

Editorial Board. 

• Serve on the Nursing Alumni 

Council. 

For more information on any of these 

opportunities, visit 

http://www.nursing.virginia.edu/alumni/ 

on the Web, e-mail nursing-alumni@ 

virginia.edu or e-mail Alumni and 

Volunteer Network Coordinator Sallie 

McCormick at 

Sallie.mccormick@tap.com. We hope to 

hear from you! 


FROM THE BOARDROOM 

Creative Energies Channeled in Creative Ways 

For the second year, Clinical Instructor Jeanne Erickson coordinated a creative 

writing contest in the fall 2003 semester for undergraduate nursing students. 

Winners received a certificate and a modest cash prize, funded by an Innovative 

Teaching Award sponsored by the Nursing Alumni Association. 

Congratulations to the winners: 

First Place Essay—One Purple Grape by Laura Bland 

Second Place Essay—Paper Topic by Sara Stassen 

First Place Poem—Morning walk at the state mental hospital by Kelly 

Davison (see below) 

Second Place Poem—Room 330 by Taylor Jakubowski 

Honorable mention—Lulu by Emily Smith 

Alumni Directories 

Available 

In October 2003, the publisher 

University Publishing 

Corporation mailed copies of 

the 2003 Alumni Directory to 

all participating alumni (those 

who returned a biographical 

update card, with or without a 

voluntary donation). 

If you didn’t receive a copy 

but you’d like one, a limited 

number are available and will 

be distributed on a first-come, 

first-served basis. Call (434) 

924-0138 or e-mail nursingalumni@virginia.edu 

to 

request a copy. A donation to 

the Nursing Annual Fund is 

requested to help us cover the 

postage expense. 

Morning walk at the state mental hospital 

We walk side by side 

you—taller and darker-skinned 

I—younger and saner (we’re supposing). 

I hold a red umbrella over my curly hair 

you let September rain fall on your black 

sweatshirt hood. 

You tell me your mother couldn’t take it 

any longer, you with all those voices, 

loud parties in your bedroom 

when you were all alone. 

You tell me about your criminal charges 

between puffs on your fourth cigarette. 

I hear: little girl, semen, 

and I don’t ask you to repeat what else you 

mumbled 

nor do I avoid your exhaled smoke. 

I have seen you weave a basket 

wetting strips of reed so they bend easy 

your calloused black fingers threading 

them 

one by one. 

Please don’t talk to me when I’m weaving, 

Miss Kelly 

you murmur, and I’ve been silent all along. 

The hospital will sell your basket, 

giving you half— 

twelve more dollars of cigarettes to pass 

the day. 

We walk past a Lay’s potato chip truck. 

You ask, Miss Kelly, what would ya do if 

that truck of chips was yers 

I start to say, I’d give them away, 

then correct myself, I’d sell half, but 

let’s not talk about me, 

let’s talk about you. 

And we walk on through puddles, 

I under a red umbrella, 

you letting the rain fall on your black hood 

and drip down your nose. 

—Kelly Davison 

Need Help Paying for Medical Expenses 

U.Va. School of Nursing alumni are encouraged to apply 

for assistance from the Tabitha S. Grier Medical Assistance 

Fund. There are no age restrictions, but the funds must 

be used for personal medical expenses not covered by 

insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. The annual deadline 

for applications is August 1. 

You can download guidelines and an application from 

the Web at www.nursing.virginia.edu/alumni/ then click 

on “Grier Medical Assistance Fund.” Or call (434) 924- 

0138 or e-mail nursing-alumni@virginia.edu to request 

an application. 


EVENTS 

IN REVIEW 

1 

1 

2 

3 

Envision Nursing Events Continue 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2003—Harriett Nash Lee (Diploma ’61, left) was one who attended the Envision 

Nursing event for Charlottesville-area alumni, hosted by Lucien and Mary Bass. 

OCTOBER 11, 2003—Pam Peden Harrington (BSN ’71) hosted a group at her home on Kiawah 

Island, SC. In attendance were Dean Lancaster, Colleen Corish (BSN ’86) and Jayne Gosnell 

Helm (BSN ‘64). 

Other regional Envision events held in the fall and winter were in Chicago (hosted by Beverly 

Reynolds Raudabaugh, BSN ’78 and Mary Ann Leeper), Atlanta (hosted by Susan Zsamer 

Hunter, BSN ’73) and Ft. Worth, Texas (hosted by Marinda Elliott Allender, BSN ’78). 

For more information on the Envision Nursing process, or to subscribe to the school’s new 

electronic newsletter, visit www.nursing.virginia.edu/envision-nursing. 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2003—Members of the Diploma Class of 1958 returned to Charlottesville 

for two days of fun and reconnection. A luncheon hosted by Dean Lancaster was held in 

McLeod Hall. 

OCTOBER 15, 2003—Mary Ann Leeper, MS, MBA, PhD was the featured speaker for the 28th 

annual Zula Mae Baber Bice Memorial Lecture. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

NOVEMBER 1, 2003—the Beta Kappa 

chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, International, 

the national honor society of nursing, 

inducted 34 new members. Beta Kappa currently 

boasts over 400 active members. 

4 


5 

5 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Denise Geolot Sherer (BSN ’70, ENP ’75), Nancy Albertson, and Michele Tarbet (both 

BSN ’74). 

NOVEMBER 15, 2003—the School of Nursing hosted its Benefactor’s Dinner in the Rotunda 

Dome Room. More than 120 donors and friends attended the event, honoring the school’s most 

generous benefactors and dedicated volunteers, and celebrated their contributions to the life of the 

school. 

MARCH 16, 2004—The fifth annual Thank-A-Thon attracted 17 faculty and student callers, who 

spent the evening thanking donors for their gifts to the School of Nursing. Shown here: master’s 

student Ann Fuqua. 

APRIL 26, 2004—Janis Peacock Bellack (Diploma ’68, BSN ‘70) was the featured speaker for the 

Catherine Strader McGehee Memorial Lecture. The lecture, an early celebration for faculty, students, 

and clinicians of Week of the Nurse, was titled “Every Nurse Leadership,” Bellack’s philosophy that 

leadership is not about a title or position but about a way of being and doing, and thus, every 

nurse is a potential leader. 

Bellack is currently vice president for academic affairs/provost and professor at the Massachusetts 

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, with campuses in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, 

and Manchester, New Hampshire. 

2003-04—For the first year, as part of the Alumni in Residence program, the Nursing Alumni 

Association hosted a series of luncheons for first- through fourth-year students. At each, Dean 

Jeanette Lancaster spoke, as well as various student and young alumni, sharing valuable information 

for students following in their footsteps. 

6 

8 

Jim and Charlotte Roberts. 

5 

Doris Cobb (BSNEd ’50). 

7 


CLASS NOTES AND NEWS 

1930s 

’38 Ella Vivian Gillespie of El 

Paso, TX, is now in a retirement 

complex. During World War II 

she was a member of the 8 th Evac 

Hospital. 

1950s 

’64 BSN Sandy Whitley Ryals of 

Roanoke, VA, is the chief deputy 

director for the Department of 

Professional and Occupational 

Regulation (DPOR), a 

Commerce and Trade secretariat 

agency for the Commonwealth of 

Virginia. The DPOR regulates 31 

occupations and professions 

through 19 boards composed of 

practitioners and citizens 

appointed by the Governor. 

’67 BSN Mary Brundage 

DeLashmutt is a certified doula 

and founder of her own company. 

Check out her Web site at 

Delmarvelousdoulas.com. 

’67 BSN Patricia Bedsaul 

Popeck of Scranton, PA, has 

been the director of Student 

Health Services at the University 

of Scranton for the past 16 years. 

She is also an adjunct faculty 

member for the University of 

Scranton and Keystone College. 

1970s 

’74 Norah Ray Knutsen of 

Kents Store, VA, founder of the 

Richmond-based Mature 

Options, a geriatric nursing practice, 

was profiled in an article 

titled “Mature Options Helps 

Families Care for Elderly,” in the 

Richmond Times-Dispatch on 

March 1, 2004. 

’74 Beth Pritchett Staton of 

Bluefield, VA, is the director of 

the RN to BSN Program at 

Bluefield State College in 

Bluefield, WV. 

’75 Valerie Smith Kirkman of 

McLean, VA, was elected to the 

Raven Society this year. The 

organization honors alumni who 

demonstrate a commitment to the 

University through service, as well 

as showing exemplary achievement 

in their professional life. 

See story on page 4. 

’57 BSN Margaret Lafon 

Nuckols died in April 2002. In 

memory of Maggie, her friends at 

the University of Virginia Elson 

Student Health Center planted a 

memorial tree in Pavilion VIII 

Garden at the University of 

Virginia. If you would like to contribute 

to this memorial for 

Maggie Nuckols, please send your 

donation to: “Student Health 

Staff Enrichment Memorial,” 

Elson Student Health Center, 

400 Brandon Avenue, P.O. Box 

800760, Charlottesville, VA 

22908-0760. 

1960s 

’63 Diploma Alice 

Swartzentruber Raiford of 

Spartanburg, SC, received her 

master’s degree in Christian 

counseling in May 2003 from 

Gordon-Conwell Theological 

Seminary in Charlotte. She has 

been a nurse for the past thirty 

years. 

’64 BSN Adair Donnell 

DeLamater of Sharon Spring, 

NY, received her master’s degree 

in social work. She works in the 

Emergency Department at the 

Albany Medical Center, in 

Albany, NY. 

Special 

Invitation 

to the BSN 

1967 Class: 

Join your class for a minireunion 

in New York, NY the 

weekend of June 4–6, 2004. 

Accommodations are available 

with special rates (until 

May 4) at the Beacon Hotel. 

If you would like to make 

reservations please call 

(800) 572-4969 and identify 

yourself as a member of the 

U.Va. SON Class of 1967. 

Contact classmate Susan 

Donckers for more information 

at sdonckers@aol.com. 

BSN ’68, PhD ’79 Jo Anne Kirk 

Henry of Richmond, VA, was 

awarded the Distinguished 

Faculty Award for Service by 

Virginia Commonwealth 

University (VCU). 

’75 Kathleen Cox of McLean, 

VA, was named president and 

CEO of the Corporation for 

Public Broadcasting. 

’75 BSN, ’96 MSN Trish Higgins 

of Charlottesville, VA, received 

the national Mentor Leadership 

Award from the National 

Committee to preserve Social 

Security and Medicare. The 

award honors “individuals who 

have inspired positive aging 

through leadership,” according to 

Barbara Kennelly, president and 

CEO of the national organization. 

Higgins is the nurse practitioner 

for the Jefferson Area Board for 

Aging (JABA) and a clinical 

instructor for the School of 

Nursing. Higgins and JABA also 

won an award for a health services 

program for the aged in rural 

areas, a program Higgins initiated. 

’77 Catherine Ratliff of Troy, 

VA, was a contributing writer for 

the recently published book, 

Management Guidelines for Nurse 

Practitioner Working with Older 

Adults (Second Edition). 

1980s 

’82 Denise Hitt Walsh of 

Charlottesville, VA, who worked 

for the U.Va. Health System for 

17 years, is now working as a certified 

massage therapist and 

nurse in an out-patient setting. 

Her daughter, Elizabeth, recently 

was selected for the National 

Youth Leadership Forum on 

Nursing in Boston, MA, where 

she participated in workshops and 

clinical scenarios to learn more 

about a career in nursing. 

’85 Irma Heppner Mahone of 

Charlottesville, VA, who is now a 

doctoral student, has received the 

O’Brien Scholarship. 

MSN ’86, NP ’96 Patty Joy Hale 

of Afton, VA, was the 2003 

Professor of the Year National 

winner. See story on page 9. 


CLASS NOTES AND NEWS 

’87 MSN, ’88 NP Carol Gibbs 

Rothacker of Huntington Beach, 

CA, just moved back to the 

United States after spending two 

years in Sweden. 

’89 Audrey Wright Snyder of 

Madison, VA, is an assistant professor 

at the U.Va. SON. She 

volunteers for Remote Area 

Medical Clinic (RAM). In addition 

to her work with RAM, she 

volunteers for Nursing Students 

Without Borders, and is a paramedic 

with the Madison County 

Rescue Squad. 

1990s 

’90 Janine Bowden Brown of 

Chesapeake, VA, and her husband, 

Richard, had their second 

child and daughter, Sydney 

Ellison, on November 19, 2002. 

’91 Helen French of Waynesboro, 

VA, co-authored an article in the 

June 2003 issue of the journal of 

the Association of Perioperative 

Registered Nurses. It was part two 

of an article titled: “Experiential 

Learning and Service to Others,” 

and discussed her experiences 

related to the Medical Equipment 

Recovery of Clean Inventory 

(MERCI) program she founded. 

’91 Leila Gutowski of Richmond, 

VA, become severely and chronically 

ill four years ago after 

working mainly in Hospice and 

AIDs care in Massachusetts. She 

would like to reconnect with 

friends; her email address is 

LeilaMGutoski@hotmail.com. 

’92 Anna-Liisa Bentti Vockell of 

Cincinnati, OH, is a pediatric 

nurse at the Cincinnati Children’s 

Hospital Headache Center. She 

married Christopher Vockell on 

October 21, 2000, and had a son, 

Oliver Herrick, on October 6, 

2002. 

’94 Elizabeth Harvin Tarkington 

of Atlanta, GA, is a medical missionary 

in the Medical Missions 

Department of an International 

Missions Agency. 

’94 Leigh Ann Johnson Nordt of 

Charlottesville, VA, and her husband, 

Kevin, welcome the birth of 

their third child in October 2003. 

’94 Stefanie Diane Tompkins of 

Bath, England, married Nicholas 

Robert Scott on August 2, 2003. 

’95 Heather Grehawick Roberts 

of Wilmington, MA, and her husband, 

David, had their first child 

and daughter, Taylor Alexandra, 

on June 21, 2003. She is currently 

working for the labor and delivery 

unit at Beth Israel Deaconess 

Medical Center in Boston, MA. 

’97 Jenny Sigel Burkett of 

Columbia, MD, married Allen 

Burkett on August 2, 2003. She is 

currently studying in the acute 

care nurse practitioner program at 

the University of Maryland. Allen 

is an operating room nurse at the 

National Naval Medical Center in 

Bethesda, MD. 

’97 Christa Janowski Hartch of 

Greenwich, CT, is a clinical 

instructor at the Greenwich 

Hospital for nursing students at 

Norwalk Community College. 

’97 Shannon Marshall 

Ikenberry of Lexington, VA, 

began her master’s degree in 

Women’s Health at the VCU 

Health System in fall 2002. She 

will finish in 2005, and will practice 

as a women’s health nurse 

practitioner. Currently, she is 

working at the Birthing Center 

for Stonewall Jackson Hospital in 

Lexington, VA. 

’97 Tracey Dawn Pietron of 

Garner, NC, married Matthew 

Wayne Perry on December 21, 

2002. She is a registered nurse in 

labor and delivery at Johnston 

Memorial Hospital in Smithfield, 

NC. 

’98 April Carman of Chantilly, 

VA, is working in Uzbekistan as a 

health educator for the Peace 

Corps. 

’98 Patricia Chang Carpenter of 

Severn, MD, is a charge nurse at 

Nephrology Specialty Group and 

Independent Dialysis Foundation, 

an affiliate of the University of 

Maryland. She and her husband, 

Happy Anniversary! 

50+ Years for BSN Education at U.Va. 

In 1954, the first class of baccalaureate nursing students graduated from 

the University of Virginia, marking yet another important milestone in 

the evolution of nursing education in Charlottesville. 

In a sea of ties and suits and male students, ten female nursing graduates 

received their degrees on the Lawn. Established in 1950, the program at 

the time was not without controversy and dissent, but it paved the way for 

the independent status of the School of Nursing as one of ten schools at 

the University. 

We congratulate those early BSN graduates and welcome them—along 

with their 1954 Diploma class sisters—to the Thomas Jefferson Society on 

the occasion of their 50th anniversary. See you in May! 

More information about the Thomas Jefferson Society Reunion can be found on page 27. You can 

buy your own copy of Mr. Jefferson’s Nurses to learn more about the rich history of this school by visiting 

McLeod Hall (Room 2016) or order by phone or mail from the U.Va. Bookstore (tax and 

shipping additional). Call the Bookstore at (800) 759-4667 or visit their Web site at www.bookstore.virginia.edu. 


CLASS NOTES AND NEWS 

Nathan, welcomed the birth of 

their son Corwin Thomas on 

December 15, 2002. 

’98 Jennifer Jobe of Plymouth, 

IN, is an acute nurse practitioner 

and director of a cardiac rehabilitation 

program. She was profiled 

on September 25, 2003 in a South 

Bend Tribune article headlined: 

“Practicing What She Preaches: 

Rehab Program Director Works 

for Healthy Hearts.” 

’98 Kristen Huppert Kirwan of 

Harrisonburg, VA, and her husband, 

Daniel, had their first child 

and son, Hayden Michael, on 

February 11, 2003. 

2000s 

BSN ’01, MSN ’02 Bridget 

Kuczkowski of Richmond, VA, is 

a new member of the U.Va. Young 

Alumni Council. 

’03 PhD Rita Jablonski of 

Midlothian, VA, was featured in 

an article in the June issue of the 

American Journal of Nursing. The 

article was about health care for 

older adults by nurses. 

In Memoriam 

’25 Elizabeth Massie Hart of 

Charlottesville, VA, died on 

October 3, 2003. 

Visit our homepage at 

www.nursing.virginia.edu 

• Explore our academic programs, including online offerings 

• Update your address if you’ve moved 

• Nominate a friend, classmate, or colleague for an alumni award 

• Find late-breaking news and special announcements 

• E-mail your favorite faculty 

• Send us your submission for “Class Notes and News” 

• Make a gift to the School of Nursing 

Keep in touch! 

Name________________________________________________ 

Phone________________________________________________ 

Degree and Class Year___________________________________ 

Address_______________________________________________ 

City__________________________________________________ 

State______________________________Zip Code____________ 

E-mail________________________________________________ 

News_________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________ 

Please return this form to the School of Nursing Alumni and 

Development Office using the enclosed envelope, FAX (434) 982- 

3699, or visit our Web site: www.nursing.virginia.edu. Information 

may be edited for length. 

’27 Juliette Davis Golden of 

West Long Branch, NJ, died on 

July 16, 2003. 

’27 Violet Payne Hines of 

Abingdon, VA, died on 

September 25, 2003. 

’32 Mary Rucker Barley of 

Lynchburg, VA, date of death 

unknown. 

’33 Louise Ballard Battan of 

Union Hall, VA, died on January 

10, 1994. 

’36 Beatrice Fowler Kornmann 

of Parkville, MD, died on August 

31, 2003. 

’38 Louise Curtis Gillespie of 

Staunton, VA, died on October 

29, 2003. 

’39 Eliza Wray Barry of 


November 7, 2003. 

’40 Josephine Massie Aurell of 

Spring Valley, NY, died on April 

11, 2003. 

’41 Margaret M. Taylor of 


January 19, 2004. 

’45 Edith L. Showalter of 

Harrisonburg, VA, died on 

September 2, 2003. 

’47 Anne Pollok Hemmings of 

Lexington, VA, died on February 

26, 2004. 

’49 Frances Jennings Dyess of 

Appomattox, VA, died on July 21, 

2003. 

’49 Jean Middleton Thompson 

of Bon Air, VA, died on August 

22, 2003. 

’50 Margaret Smoot Rosser of 

Marietta, GA, died on May 7, 

2002. 

’50 Anne Louthis Palmer of 

Greenville, RI, died on July 30, 

2003. 

’55 Diploma Betty Harlowe 

Breeden of Ruckersville, VA, 

died on October 9, 2003. 

’60 BSN Catherine Miller 

McGregor of Richmond, VA, died 

on January 13, 2004. 

’61 Corrol Hewitt Trent of Lake 

Worth, FL, died on May 16, 2003. 

’64, ’71 MED Grace Nicholas 

Dixon of Pensacola, FL, died on 

November 3, 2003. 

’65 BSN Isabel MacCorkle 

Kingdon of College Park, MD, 

died on October 14, 2003. 

’67 BSN Joanne Cutler Powell, 

address unknown, date of death 

unknown. 

’71 Donna Ellis Overstreet of 

Roanoke, VA, died on September 

9, 2002. 

’76 Cynthia Varner Gillum of 

Mitchellville, MD, date of death 

unknown. 

’77 S. Kay Cash of Amherst, VA, 

date of death unknown. 

Dr. Mary Reres of Malibu, CA, 

died on December 17, 2003. Reres 

was on faculty at U.Va. School of 

Nursing in the early 1970s, and 

was recruited here to develop 

graduate programs in psychiatric/mental 

health. She later 

became dean of the UCLA School 

of Nursing. 

Faculty Publications 

Ayello, E. Baranoski, S., Lyder, 

Courtney & Cuddigan, J. (2003). 

Pressure ulcers. In S. Baranoski & 

E. Ayello (Eds.), Wound care essentials: 

Practice principles. (pp. 

240–270). Springhouse. 

Bourguignon, Cheryl, Labyak, S. 

E., Taibi, D. (2003). Investigating 

sleep disturbances in adults with 

rheumatoid arthritis. Holistic 

Nursing Practice, September/October, 

241–249. 

Brashers, Valentina, Rowe, C., 

Schmitt, M, Suchman, A. (2003). 

Interprofessional approaches to 

the prevention of health care 

errors: Report on April 2002 

national meeting, National 

Academies of Practice/Interdisciplinary 

Health Care Team 

conference. Journal of 

Interprofessional Care, Volume 17(2), 

193–198. 

Burns, Suzanne M. (2003). 

Collaboration with respiratory 

therapists is best for patients. 

AACN News. 20:5. 


CLASS NOTES AND NEWS 

Burns, Suzanne M., Earven, D., 

Fisher, C., Lewis, R., Merrel, P., 

Schubart, J., Truwit, J.D., Bleck, T. 

(2003). Implementation of an 

institutional program to improve 

clinical and financial outcomes of 

patients requiring mechanical ventilation: 

One year outcomes and 

lessons learned. Critical Care 

Medicine, 31, 2752–2763. 

Bryn Tschannen-Moran, B., Lewis, 

E., and Farrell, Sarah. (2003). 

Childhood obesity: Policy issues in 

2003. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 

Cipriano, P., Burns, Suzanne M. 

(2004). The advanced practice 

nurse and research. In Lucille Joel 

(Ed.), Advanced practice nursing: 

Essentials for role development. FA 

Davis Co. 

Hamric, Ann B. (2003). 

Resources in research ethics. 

Nursing Outlook, 51(5), 242–244. 

Hanson, C. M., Hamric, Ann B. 

(2003). Reflections on the continuing 

evolution of advanced 

practice nursing. Nursing Outlook, 

51(5), 203–211. 

Keeling, Arlene W. (2004). 

Blurring the boundaries between 

medicine and nursing: Coronary 

care nursing, circa the 1960’s. 

Nursing History Review, Volume 12, 

139-164. 

Lyder, Courtney. (2003). 

Regulation and wound care. In S. 

Baranoski and E. Ayello (Eds.), 

Wound care essentials: Practice principles. 

(pp. 35-46). Springhouse. 

Lyder, Courtney. (2004). Battling 

pressure ulcers: Consistency 

means success. Nursing Homes 

Long Term Care Management, 53(1), 

72–73. 

Parker, Barbara, Steeves, Rick, 

Anderson, Sarah, Moran, B. 

(2004). Uxoricide: A phenomenological 

study of adult survivors. 

Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 25, 

133–145. 

Faculty names appear in boldface. 

Legacy Publication 

Schedule Changes: 

A Note from the Editor 

We will continue to 

publish the Virginia 

Legacy twice a year, but 

starting in academic year 

2004–05 we will produce 

this magazine in the winter 

and spring (January and 

April). 

Watch for us in your 

mailbox, and please share 

any thoughts, feedback, or 

ideas you have with the editorial 

staff! You can also stay 

abreast of timely news from 

the School of Nursing by 

subscribing to our new electronic 

newsletter, sent every 

other month via e-mail. Sign 

up at 

www.nursing.virginia.edu/ 

envision-nursing. 

Thanks for reading. We 

work hard to produce a 

quality magazine, and hope 

you enjoy what you see. 

Karen J. Ratzlaff, Editor 

E-mail: ratzlaff@virginia.edu 

JOIN US FOR 

REUNIONS 2004 

Thomas Jefferson Society 

On May 11 and 12, 2004 the Diploma 

and BSN Classes of 1954 will join the 

University’s Thomas Jefferson Society— 

recognizing alumni on the 50th 

anniversary of their graduation. The 

School of Nursing will host nursing alumni 

at a luncheon on May 12. Watch your 

mailbox for more information, or call 

(434) 924-0138. 

You’re Invited — 

Reunions 2004 and Annual 

Alumni Meeting 

From June 4 to 6, 2004, the Classes of 

1959, ’64, ’69, ’74, ’79, ’84, ’89, ’94, and 

1999 will celebrate their Reunions. Call the 

U.Va. Alumni Association at (434) 243-9000 

with questions, or visit 

www.alumni.virginia.edu on the Web to see 

who’s coming back and to register. 

The School of Nursing offers events 

throughout the weekend, including a panel 

describing student life today, tours of McLeod 

Hall, and a Sunday brunch for nursing alumni 

at Pavilion II. 

All alumni, regardless of class year, are 

invited to the Nursing Reunion Luncheon and 

annual business meeting of the Nursing 

Alumni Association on June 5 from 12 to 2 

p.m. in McLeod Hall. Rekindle old friendships 

and make new ones during a festive luncheon 

complete with musical entertainment from 

Charlottesville’s legendary “88 Keys” Wilson. 

Dean Jeanette Lancaster will share exciting 

plans for the school, including the expansion 

of McLeod Hall. Also enjoy a nostalgic photo 

exhibit, purchase some school memorabilia, 

and meet this year’s winners of the annual 

alumni awards. If you want to attend this 

luncheon but are not a member of a returning 

class, please call (434) 924-0138 to register. 


HEADER 

CALENDAR OF 

EVENTS 

MAY 

11–12 Thomas Jefferson Society Reunions for the Class 

of 1954 and earlier 

JUNE 

4–6 University Reunions for the Classes of 1959, 

‘64, ‘69, ‘74, ‘79, ‘84, ‘89, ‘94, ‘99 

SEPTEMBER 

1 Classes Begin 

18 Homecoming: Class Advocate/2005 Reunion 

Representative Meetings 

21 History Forum: “Soldiers of the Cross: The Role 

of Nurses in Base Hospital 41, WWI” 

OCTOBER 

9 Alumni Council and Advisory Board meetings 

9 Benefactor’s Dinner 

9–12 Fall Reading Days 

19 History Forum: “The Vexed Question of the 

Elderly: Nurses Role in Home Care of the 

Elderly, 1900–1929” 

22–24 Family Weekend 

23 Undergraduate Recognition Ceremony 

NOVEMBER 

10 29th Zula Mae Baber Bice Memorial 

Lecture/Medical Center Hour 

16 History Forum: “Who is a Nurse Experiences in 

19th and Early 20th Century San Francisco” 

24–28 Thanksgiving Recess 

DECEMBER 

10 Classes End 

13–21 Exams 

Distance Education at the U.Va. 

School of Nursing 

T 

he School of Nursing has launched several programs designed to 

help the working nurse. See story on page 11. 

Advance your career while remaining near your family and current position! 

We offer two entire MSN degree programs that can be completed 

using the Internet. Students in these programs complete most of 

their course requirements in their home communities. 

• MSN in Community and Public Health Leadership 

• MSN in Health Systems Management 

In addition, the school offers Post-Master’s Geriatric Nurse 

Practitioner preparation that is entirely online. 

For more information, e-mail the admissions office at nur-osa@virginia.edu. Or 

call us toll-free at (888) 283-8703, or visit us on the Web site at www.nursing.virginia.edu. 

Call (434) 924-0083 for more information about the 

History Forums. 

Nonprofit Org. 

U.S. Postage 

PAID 

Permit No. 232 

Charlottesville, VA 

McLeod Hall, P.O. Box 800782 

Charlottesville, VA 22908-0782 

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