Author’s Addendum

Recently, I got to spend a few moments on the phone with Dr. Shirley Toney, Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita of Gardner-Webb University’s School of Nursing as well as author of Gardner-Webb University School of Nursing-History & Heritage. I was particularly intrigued by the book’s character that portrays a living testament. It does indeed chronicle the development of the School of Nursing, but it also reflects the personal histories of the those people who are the very heartbeat of the School of Nursing. It is a legacy story filled with pictures and anecdotes of the Gardner-Webb nursing family-students, alumni, staff, and faculty. Certainly, Dr. Toney captures the book’s meaning best when she writes, “Writing the book was a trip down memory lane–it needed to be written to recognize people, dedication, time, events, dreams, and resources that have made possible the education of almost 2500 RNs in one, two, or three of our nursing programs to date. All of these join to form the mosaic of the entity known as the School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb University.” Take a moment and read this personal reflection by the author.

If you have seen a copy of the Gardner-Webb University School of Nursing History & Heritage, you might have recognized a picture or name of someone you know (it could be you, your mother/father, wife/husband, child, or grandparent!) or an incident that you remember. As someone who has lived most of the history of the School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb, for many years, I had planned to record its story as it has evolved with the institution. I decided that it was more than a history – it was heritage. “A history consists of people, places, events, and dates. Heritage expands history as it describes what is handed down such as traits, beliefs, values, customs, practices. It further elaborates the whys and hows of what exists” (Toney, 2009, p. 15).

The book is dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Grace C. Lee, founding Director of nursing education at Gardner-Webb Junior College. It begins with a brief history of nursing education, particularly in North Carolina and at Gardner-Webb. It describes earlier nursing programs at Shelby Hospital and Rutherford Hospital. It chronicles our beginning in 1965, life in the seventies, NC Board of Nursing approval, national accreditation, establishment of the BSN/RN program in the early eighties and the MSN program in 2001 with updates to the present time, including proposals for a generic BSN program and a doctoral program. The book contains a timeline to sequence the evolvement of nursing along with a list of over 150 full-time and part-time faculty and staff since 1965. To illustrate scholarly work of our MSN students, titles of theses and projects from the inception of the program through May 11, 2009 appear in the Appendices. The book incorporates 84 pictures of people, places, and other items, including original curriculum plans. Information has been gathered from 45 years of catalogs, minutes, reports, syllabi, memos, articles, other materials, and memories.

Gleaned from my memories and those of alumni and faculty are anecdotes, both humorous and poignant. Examples:

• A GW graduate was the first to wear a pants uniform at Cleveland Memorial as reported in a local newspaper. Well received, but one comment from a male employee was, “They just don’t show enough leg!”
• One male graduate, believing he would do better on the RN licensing exam if he “dressed up”, had to be the most handsome applicant in Raleigh that year, as he took the exam in a tuxedo. He passed the first time!
• During a mental health/psychiatric nursing clinical lab, one student’s patient showed her appreciation to the student by offering her the only thing she had to give – a dip of snuff.
• A group of students, on their way to a clinical lab at Rutherford Hospital had trouble with the GW van they were driving – they were rescued and transported to the hospital via a Bunny Bread truck.

Writing the book was a trip down memory lane – it needed to be written to recognize people, dedication, time, events, dreams, and resources that have made possible the education of almost 2500 RNs in one, two, or three of our nursing programs to date. All of these join to form the mosaic of the entity known as the School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb University.

Words to live by:
“We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before.”