Virginia Nurses Today - August 2022

Page 18 | August, September, October 2022
Virginia Nurses Today | www.VirginiaNurses.com
Retired Registered Nurse and
Centenarian Gertrude Clarke Still Loves Nursing
By VNA & VNF DEI Council Chair Vivienne McDaniel, DNP, MSN, RN
Retired mental health professor Gertrude Clarke turned 100 years old in
June. She said, “don’t put the actual date because, you know, they have those
identity thieves out there.” Ms. Gertrude is a delightful, spry young lady and
doesn’t look or act anything like what you may expect of a centenarian. She was
a 1946 graduate of the Saint Philip School of Nursing. During the time of her
attendance, southern laws and social practices did not allow entry of “Negroes”
into nursing schools with White students.
Since healthcare facilities were segregated, the Medical College of Virginia
established a separate school of nursing for Women of Color to provide trained
nurses to serve the underserved Black patients admitted to Saint Philip
Hospital. Gertrude said, “I purchased a bus ticket to go to New York and left
immediately after graduation to go work somewhere that welcomed me.” Ms.
Gertrude credits her longevity to her serving God and humanity. She said she
still loves nursing and would do it all over again minus the segregation. Her
advice to current and future nurses is to use your voice to advocate for patients
and the profession of nursing, and to “keep God in everything you do.” Teaching
is in her DNA; at 100, Ms. Gertrude still teaches Sunday School at her church.
Learn more about Ms. Gertrude in the February 2023 issue of the Virginia
Nurses Today.
With Ms. Gertrude Clarke (in pink) from left to right are Drs. Vivienne
McDaniel, Karen Faison and Stephanie Terry, (all professors of nursing).
(Photo credit: Vivienne Pierce McDaniel)
St. Philip Hospital photo courtesy of
VCU Libraries
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