FOR EMBARGOED RELEASE/Saturday, June 15, 1996 CONTACT: Anita Baumann [202/651-7048] American Nurses Association Inducts 15 Nurses Into Its Hall of Fame During ANA Convention And Centennial CelebrationWASHINGTON, DC -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) today inducted fifteen outstanding nurses into the ANA Hall of Fame during ANA's Convention and Centennial Celebration, June 14-19, at the Washington Convention Center. For the first time ever, two living nurses were inducted. The ANA Hall of Fame is a lasting tribute to nurses whose dedication and achievements have significantly impacted the nursing profession throughout the years. The nurses inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame include: FLORENCE GUINNESS BLAKE, 1907-1983. Acknowledged nationally and internationally as an exemplary pediatric nurse, her various roles included scholar, teacher, author, researcher, and clinician. She established graduate programs in several schools of nursing and pioneered the inclusion of advanced clinical content in those programs at a time when teaching and administration were the foci of most graduate nursing programs. Her career was devoted to improving the care of children and her textbooks were major forces in shaping pediatric nursing practice in this country and abroad. FLORENCE ABY BLANCHFIELD, 1882-1971. As superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps and the first woman commissioned in the Regular Army of the United States, she was one of the most respected nurse leaders of the 20th century. Her career spanned 57 years and included meritorious service in both world wars in assignments in the United States and overseas. Her positions included chief nurse of six Army hospital nursing services and administration in the Office of the Surgeon General. A nursing advocate who received many honors, she was largely responsible for obtaining full military rank for Army Nurse Corps officers. The Colonel Florence A. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is named in her honor. DOROTHY A. CORNELIUS, 1918-1992. Throughout a long and distinguished career, this outstanding nurse leader demonstrated extraordinary commitment to organized nursing and to the promotion of unity among nurses in the United States and other countries. She was the only nurse to hold the offices of president of ANA, president of the American Journal of Nursing Company, and president of the International Council of Nurses. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, her expertise was recognized by government officials at the national, state, and local levels, including commendation from four presidents of the United States. An expert conciliator, her work provides a model for inter-disciplinary collaboration. VIRGINIA A. HENDERSON, 1897-1996. As a legend in nursing, she earned the title "foremost nurse of the 20th century." Her contributions have been compared to those of Florence Nightingale because of their far reaching effects on the national and international nursing communities. She held twelve honorary doctoral degrees and the International Council of Nurses' Christiane Reimann Prize which many consider nursing's most prestigious award. An inspiration to nurses everywhere, she is credited with authoring the most accurate definition of nursing. A prolific author and renowned educator, she has influenced nursing practice, education, and research throughout the world. Her recent death represents an enormous loss for every community of nurses. KATHERINE J. HOFFMAN, 1910-1984. An early proponent of nursing research as a priority activity for the advancement of nursing science, she was one of the founders of the Western Society for Research in Nursing. She was equally committed to graduate education for nurses and assisted with the establishment of the Western Council for Higher Education in Nursing. The first nurse in the state of Washington to earn a PhD degree, she became the highest ranking woman administrator at the University of Washington and served as a consultant in curriculum development to numerous nursing programs across the country. A charter Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she was a mentor to countless nursing students and is remembered for her contributions to professional standards and educational criteria. ANNA CAROLINE MAXWELL, 1851-1929. One of nursing's earliest leaders in this country, she demonstrated the worth of a corps of trained nurses in the military during the Spanish-American War, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Army Nurse Corps. From 1892-1921, she served as Superintendent of Nurses at the Presbyterian Hospital Training School for Nurses in New York and devoted her career to elevating educational standards and admission requirements for nursing schools. An active participant in the development of organized nursing at the national and state levels, she helped found the American Journal of Nursing and the Isabel Hampton Robb Scholarship Fund and was a key figure in the struggle to achieve military rank for nurses in the United States Armed Forces. LUCILLE ELIZABETH NOTTER, 1907-1993. Best known for her commitment to nursing research, she was instrumental in developing Nursing Research as a vehicle for encouraging scientific inquiry in nursing. As the journal's first editor, she stimulated nurses to engage in research for the improvement of patient care. She was the architect of the International Nursing Index and author of Essentials of Nursing Research which remains a classic in the nursing literature. Committed to collegiate education and career mobility for nurses, she fostered regional planning in nursing education and was influential in the movement for economic security. AGNES K. OHLSON, 1902-1991. Widely recognized for her service to national and international nursing organizations, she was deeply involved with issues related to licensure and registration for nurses. From 1936 to 1963, she held the position of Secretary and Chief Examiner of the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing. During her tenure, she influenced the process of testing for licensure which eventually led to the development of the State Board Test Pool Examination. She served as president of the Connecticut League of Nursing Education, American Nurses Association, and the International Council of Nurses. She was also the first president of the American Nurses Foundation. An outstanding advocate for the public good, she promoted political activism and professional commitment. MARY D. OSBORNE, 1875-1946. Acknowledged as a visionary who "personified the qualities she deemed essential for a public health nurse," her devotion to the care of mothers and babies in Mississippi resulted in the saving of many lives. From 1921 to 1946, she was Supervisor of Public Health Nurses for the Mississippi State Board of Health. Particularly concerned about the needs of rural, poor African-American communities, she created a healing network of public health nurses and granny midwives that provided a vital link between the people and the health department. That model partnership endured for more than fifty years and had a profound impact on maternal-infant outcomes in Mississippi and elsewhere. The Manual for Midwives, authored by Osborne in 1922, remained a valuable resource in this country and abroad until the 1970s. SARA ELIZABETH PARSONS, 1864-1949. A leader in the care of the mentally ill, she remained committed to improving psychiatric nursing throughout her career and established nurse training schools in hospitals and asylums during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She advocated autonomy for nurses and took an active part in professional activities at the national and state levels. She held various offices, including president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and vice-president of the National League of Nursing Education and was an articulate spokesperson for professional nursing during its formative years. In 1922, she authored the History of the Massachusetts General Hospital Training School for Nurses which survives to this day as a valuable resource for historians. ELIZABETH KERR PORTER, 1894-1989. Recognized nationally and internationally for her dedication to the profession of nursing and its professional organization, she was a leader in nursing education and an advocate for nurses' rights. Doctorally prepared at the University of Pennsylvania during the 1930s, she contributed immeasurably to the advancement of nursing in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and across the country as president of ANA. She was a staunch supporter of economic security for nurses and defended their right to organize to achieve that security. She served as consultant to the World Health Organization and was the recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal and the Shirley Titus Award. An expert in educational administration, she left a legacy of unparalleled leadership. MARTHA ELIZABETH ROGERS, 1914-1994. Most widely known for her discovery of the science of unitary human beings, she provided the framework for continued study and research and influenced the development of a variety of caring modalities, including therapeutic touch. Over a long and productive career, she demonstrated leadership and vision that affected nursing education, practice, and research in the United States and other countries. The recipient of eight honorary doctoral degrees and an extraordinary number of awards, she authored more than 200 published articles and book reviews. Her books have become classics in the nursing literature. In honor of her outstanding achievement, the Division of Nursing at New York University established the Martha E. Rogers Center for the Study of Nursing Science which focuses on national and international scholarly activities related to her work. MABEL KEATON STAUPERS, 1890-1989. A leader of vision, determination, and courage, she helped break down color barriers in nursing and in the delivery of health care services at a time when segregation was entrenched in this country. Dedicated to promoting better health care for African-Americans and improving the status of African-American nurses, she worked to organize the first private facility in Harlem, New York, where African-American physicians could treat their patients. And, over time, she orchestrated the integration of African-American nurses into mainstream professional nursing. As the first Executive Secretary of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, she developed programs for African-American nurses and formed coalitions with other organizations. Through her sustained efforts, African-American nurses were eventually accepted into the United States Military and, after many years of struggle, into the educational, institutional, and organizational structure of American nursing. FLORENCE S. WALD, 1917-Present. A pioneer in the hospice movement in the United States, she envisioned the need to sustain the maximum quality of life irrespective of limitations imposed by illness. During her tenure as Dean of the Yale University School of Nursing, she traveled to England to study the hospice approach to care, and upon her return implemented the hospice model in Connecticut in the early 1970s. Since that time, her visionary work with the terminally ill has influenced the further development of hospice care throughout the country. Outstanding in the field of psychiatric nursing, she is the author of many published articles and continues to present papers at prestigious conferences. MARY OPAL WOLANIN, 1910-Present. A renowned expert in the clinical nursing of older adults and the management of long term care, she is an advocate for the inclusion of gerontological content in nursing curricula. She began her career in 1935, as a staff nurse, and is currently Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona College of Nursing. A prolific writer, she has published widely in the area of geriatric nursing and has received numerous awards for her work. Committed to ongoing research in her field, she funds an annual research award and mentors American and foreign graduate students. Her involvement with other disciplines enhances the image of nursing and humanizes the aged. All fifteen inductees, nominated through their state nurses associations, met specific criteria, including: (1) demonstrated leadership that affected the health and/or social history of the United States through sustained, life-long contributions in or to nursing practice, education, administration, research, economics, or literature; (2) preparation in a formal nursing program unless the contribution was made before 1873 when no formal training was available; (3) having worked in or represented the United States or its territories; and (4) achievements with enduring value to nursing beyond the inductee's lifetime. The ANA Hall of Fame was unveiled in 1976, the year of the nation's bicentennial, and four inductions have taken place since then (1982, 1984, 1986, and 1996). The next induction will take place at ANA's convention in 1998 and at biennial conventions thereafter. There are currently 54 members of the ANA Hall of Fame, all of whom are honored in a permanent memorial located at ANA's headquarters in Washington, DC. To read the ANA Hall of Fame brochure, please access it via ANA's World-Wide Web site, Nursing World, at http://www.nursingworld.org/hof/
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