Texas Womans Spring 2024 Magazine

DID YOU KNOW?
CAPPING OFF A
TRADITION OF PRIDE
Nursing is a Job of Many Hats
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TWU tradition
Email us at advancement@twu.edu
ALUMNI AND STUDENTS
nowadays often show their
school pride with a T-shirt
or a hoodie emblazoned
with their university logo.
When Claudia Dille ’69
worked as a nurse, she
showed her school pride
with her Texas Woman’s
nursing cap.
“The cap was a way
to express pride in your
university,” says Dille, whose
career as a nurse, educator
and healthcare professional
spanned 43 years.
When Dille began her
nursing career, the traditional
uniform consisted of a white
cap, white dress, pantyhose
and white shoes. The uniform
evolved to a pantsuit in
the 1970s and the more
comfortable medical scrubs
in the 1990s.
Each nursing school had
its own unique cap. The caps
came in a variety of shapes
and sizes. Some were small;
some were round; some had
frills. Dille says the TWU
nursing cap was a more
traditional design. It had a
wide front with a black stripe
and crossed in back to form
the cap.
Students put the caps
together, starching and
folding the piece of white
cotton into a cap.
“It was quite an art to
get the cap ready to wear,”
says Dille. “The cap was a
distinguishing characteristic,
letting people know that you
were a nurse,” says Dille.
Dille held onto her cap.
“It is a symbol of
my career.”
TEXAS WOMAN’S 23