what year was that when you started? Um I guess it was 41. I graduated
from there in 1944.
That was the time that world war. Yes, it certainly was. So unfortunately
I didn't get to go home very often because the busses and the and the
trains were all loaded with army personnel actually. And not only did we
not have released time that much except in the summer we had a couple of
weeks but it would take too long for me to get there. Even if I had been
able to get transportation except that christmas time and one week during
the summer.
So you pretty much stayed there in ST louis. Did you know people there? No
, but I had some relatives who lived across the river in
and was in contact with them part of the time. They were very gracious
hosts for me when I had a day or so off. Uh huh. Is there any other ways
that the war impacted your life? Well yes, we were all afraid because ST
louis I think at that time was in fact I know at that time was lights out
at a certain time except in the hospital which was right across from the
nursing home. The nurses residents I should say. And we had to cover our
windows very carefully at night
because of the fear of bombing. I guess we never had very much information
about it. But we all certainly covered our windows of our rooms. I have a
frightening way to live. Yes, but it's amazing want girls to accept it and
not think much about it. I wouldn't have thought of that of ST louis
because it's in the middle of the country of California. Heard about
California being concerned,
louis was just as worried. Yes, it was as a city.
And did you ever consider joining the military? Yes, I did. And I had
graduated from the school at that time and was a head nurse on the men's
ward. And I think that probably was unusual for an immediate graduate to
have a job of that responsibility. But I did and it was it was very
helpful to me. It was interesting. Um but at about the time when there
were several of us who had an apartment together for us actually and we
all decided at the same time to join the army or one person who wanted to
be in the navy and I was an army recruit. And about that time I developed
a heavy, really, a massive sickness I guess I had was a high temperature.
And
uh gee I guess they didn't ever diagnose it. But I was in the hospital for
a couple of weeks at the time when I was being called into duty and I
couldn't go. So they revoked my orders. So I was and I wasn't and he
placed near the recruitment office after that. And what year was that? It
must have been 45. The war ended shortly. Yes.
You mentioned you were the head nurse on the men's ward. We don't hear
about men's. No, but that it was structured that way in this hospital. The
women's ward was at one end of the hall with beds lined up throughout the
rather large room. And the men's performance at the other end of the hall.
And we had a lot of recruits from South America people who had left
Germany and came up to relatives in ST louis through uh south America. So
we had we had our taste of from people who came through And came to the
hospital for one element or another. These were jewish people. Yes. Yes.
Did you see any veterans coming back? No, not many. They weren't yet
released and probably the military when I was there. Yes.
Mhm.
So after your illness, what did you do? You got better obviously. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Quickly to know. Not quickly. I went back to to where my
parents were and in Oklahoma and stayed there for a while and worked at
one of the local hospitals. And then I had by that time I had two sisters
who were living in Arizona and and one of them came through and said why
don't you come to Arizona with us? Because she was twisting her vacation
and I decided to do that and that was my first trip into Arizona. What
year was that? I guess there's still 45. So he came out basically as a
tourist or I'm here to live. Well she lived in Tucson at that time and I
came and decided to stay a while and, and worked at the county hospital in
Tucson for a while. What was that like in the back then? What was to
sunlight? It was a small town, it really was. I could get to my sister's
house by stepping outside and taking the bus to the part of town where she
lived and it went through the center of town. So I was able to get out and
shop and do other things that I'd like to do. What was your first
impression when you came to Tucson? It must have been quite different from
Oklahoma. Well it was different from Oklahoma. Uh but it was, it was nice
, I liked it, I liked the heat strangely
and uh the people were nice and I made some nice friends and it was nice
having my sister there because I could go on days off and spend my time
with them. It was an uneventful small town I think. So did you come,
they're planning to stay or? Well, I came primarily to just look around
because I was interested but and I did not say I went back to Missouri for
a while
and back to ST louis as I recall. Why did you do that?
I think I think I didn't find Tucson that interesting to stay, but I like
the weather. And so I went back to and worked in ST louis for a while
again. Where did you work this time at the same place,
jewish hospital then? What brought you to the phoenix area? Well I am I
did take some classes at ST louis university and
came to say came to phoenix, the phoenix area did you say? And well I had
another sister who lived here then. In fact she had the only drug store in
Tempe which was called the Tempe drug at that time. And I visited with her
and began working at the indian service hospital which was over in phoenix.
And then after that I worked at a hospital in south phoenix which was I
can't remember the name of the hospital at the time but it was run by an
ex Jesuit priest and for the population in that area which was a lower
class population who needed care and help. And I found santa Monica.
That's right and it was very interesting to me what was it called Santa
Monica's hospital. Thanks.
Somebody else knows about it.
Yeah.
Well I lived down there too and I was working down there. Yeah. Tell her
what that was like that neighborhood right there. Well it is interesting
and it was uh partly uh mexican I think as I recall and some other
families and some negroes but mostly there was mexican population and when
people couldn't go to other hospitals. I think they came there and there
was it was a busy hospital and
that's about all I can remember about it. Did you need to learn spanish
you know I didn't although I picked up some
and later in in figs I worked for the visiting nurse service. And uh when
they had one here and that was for many years it was very much used and
that was an interesting experience also. And I also took courses while I
was uh involved in working to. That sounds like as a nurse. You never had
problems getting a job when you decided. No that's right. There are always
jobs. Uh huh. At least the jobs that I was interested in. But why did you
decide to work for the visiting nurse service? Um Because I thought it
would be interesting and it was helpful to people who needed
who needed help from our care from nurses who usually the doctors referred
someone. But there were there was also another population if people would
refer to as some uh family to visiting your service. We always went out
and and did an assessment of the situation and made recommendations and
help for them.
Yeah, describe for me a little bit how the visiting nurse service worked
well uh calls uh when people were discharged from the hospital or if they
weren't sick enough to go to the hospital are many of them had diabetes
and needed instruction on how to help themselves and take care of their as
the disease at the same time. And so the doctor should call the visiting
your service and the director of a sign nurses to that family. And also we
had students from, from good samaritan hospital which is now Banner
hospital in phoenix. And I happen to be an instructor for the students at
that time. So I accompanied them also into visits and show them the
routine for the activities of the visiting nurse. Well who operated the
visiting nurse service. How was it? It was funded through uh several
sources, but it was partly through what was in the community
service agency. And uh also fees were collected when it could, people
could pay if not they were uh the money was obtained from the victim unity
source. So it was sort of a nonprofit operation, definitely, definitely.
When did they start having their ebook sales? It was during the time I
was there and the director when I was there was mrs done, she and her
husband had been a in fact she and her husband both had worked in parker
when the japanese people were all sent to Parker Arizona And she had some
interesting ideas and the very community wide approach towards visiting
nurses association and what we did. It was very interesting.
So was it her idea to have a book sale? I think it was, Do you remember
the first sale. How did that work out? I don't remember it, but I I know
it was very successful for many years and still is. And so I remember that
later, I was wondering how it got started. She, well, the women's group in
phoenix also supported the agency and we're very active in taking students
to their a sign patients to care for. They drove the students. Which is a
nice thing too, because the students didn't have cars in those days. What
women's group was that the phoenix women's society.
And so did they start the book sale? They with in cooperation with the
Senior service?
It's a huge event now. It really is huge. But it wasn't to begin with. It
was, I think they were able to use some of the county facilities to hold
the book sale though. And it was successful.
Do you know how much money they raised with them too many years ship. God
, I had forgotten. Mhm. You know, they raised a lot of money, but the
books are bargained still. They still are. It's a nice community activity
too.
So you sound like you were doing a lot of things. You were, you said you
were teaching at the Good samaritan? No, I didn't teach at good samaritan
. I um had, we had their students there for uh working for practice. No, I
was working at the for the visiting nurses, but I supervise students in
their visits to patients in their homes and showed them the role of what
the 15 years does
you mentioned, you were also taking some classes. Yes. Where were you
taking classes? I took classes at phoenix uh Community college and I don't
know what it was called then phoenix something. But and also I took a
class or two in the summertime at A. S. U. And as you had a college of
nursing that no they did not. Unfortunately they had, well I was trying to
fill in some of my other classes which I needed in order to. I was working
towards my bachelor's degree in nursing. And so eventually uh from the
visiting nurse service and and the indian service experience here I went
back again to ST louis and got my bachelor's degree at Saint Louis
University.
So you hadn't actually gotten that degree when you were there. Yeah. So
when did you get that degree? I think it was 54. So did you become a
registered nurse before that? Yes, one becomes a registered nurse in those
days by simply finishing their diploma degree in nursing. And usually it
was associated with the hospital.
So you had you were a registered nurse but you didn't have the bachelor's
degree. So what was the benefit of getting the bachelors well benefit for
me was I was interested in learning more things
in general and also in nursing but there was no nursing school per se
except through the hospitals uh in phoenix at that time. There was no
degree program, There was a two diploma programs As I recall one at uh huh
Barnes or saint joseph and saint Josephs, Not Burns, one at
what is now banner, but it was good samaritan and And one at ST. Joseph
Hearts Hospital. So explain again, what is the diploma program? Well, it
usually is a 3-year program in nursing. And uh after which you get, when
you complete all the requirements, you get your diploma. He says this is a
registered nurse would be also to be a registered nurse must take a state
exam. And if she passed that in addition to having here their diploma from
the hospital, you can you are a registered nurse the first you need the
diploma. Yes. So what do they is you offer at that time? Some science
courses
and of course the other courses which were pertinent to becoming a
bachelor's degree recipient.
So
I was trying to fulfill some of those requirements before I went back to
ST Louis university and there was a nursing program there of course at
that time it was still Arizona State Teachers College, wasn't it? No, it
was Arizona State University I think in the university. 58 appreciate.
Well I missed a few years I guess. Yeah. Yeah it was it was not, it was
there, so state college.
So did you have some goals of what you wanted to do and you've got your
bachelor's degree then. No, I wanted to continue to do nursing, which I
did.
And then uh because the visiting nurse had rather brad broad scope
in caring for people, I was interested in public health. And uh so I went
back to Minnesota after some experience here again and I did my Masters
degree in a master of public health with a minor also in the psychiatric
nursing.
So when you did that, were you still working as a nurse? Why you went to
school or did you just go to school? I had I had some scholarships and I
did work a little bit. Not much. I mean I worked a lot but that was for a
force by schooling
but not for for my uh living. I was very well taken care of with it with
the uh huh scholarship which I had received, who gave you the scholarship
. I think it was the American nurses Association at that point.