St Francis School of Nursing - Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

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SE l0Il ULAS I just completed m last editorial for publication in the May 1965 American Journal of Nursing. Who would ever have dreamed ten years ago that my name, Betty Wenger, associate editor of the American Journal of Nursing, would have appeared on the new and shining plaque of my office door today. My dear and closest friend, Pat Braaf, is President of the Kansas State Nurses Association. She told me she had recently been guest speaker at a Sixth District meeting at Wichita. There she met Louise Lucas, Drueselia Evans, Jeanette Hickel, and Jenny Powers. These girls are still seen in the halls of St. Francis. Jenny is Dr. Parmley's favorite assistant. She and Dr. Parmley have established a school for anesthesiology in Wichita, and Jenny now has a full time job teaching. Louise Lucas is now head nurse on fourth Emporia, due to the fact she argued Aggie out of her job. Drueselia in her off hours in giving mambo lessons at Arthur Murrays. Jeanette Hickel is found in the nursery trying to keep pace with Benny. They all went out to Pat Wagner's who is in the cattle business with her husband Ron. Out there they found Mary Lynch. Mary was trying her best to teach Pat how to cook Steve's favorite dish, enchiladas. Fran Montford and Phyllis Blankley joined their group. They are married to Bill and Bob, who have founded the Bob and Bill Factorv for False Teeth. Fran and Phyllis have just written a book, How to Wear False Teeth and Like It They also had news that Lea Mason is giving anesthesia for Dr. Knapp. I also received a letter from Mary Biermann. After receiving her degree, she has been elected President of the National Nurses Association. During one of her round-the-world travels she met Frenchie Wohlschelgel and Aleta Alban. Frenchie is in Manilla playing nurse maid to her six little Martin's. Aleta is in Cuba. In her off duty hours, from assisting her doctor husband, she is ex- chan ing instructions on the mambo for lessons on the bunny hop. l?pon further travels, Mary learned that Bonnie Morton has joined the ranks of Uncle Sam'S naval service and is now stationed at Annapolis, and has been nominated by all the swabbies as Miss Anchor Clanker of 1965. Due to a hurricane Mary's ship was on a sand barge near Honolulu, and was rescued by the famous'para-medic, Elaine Mizuguchi, better known as the Jumpin Nightingale. At last sie reached Red China where she heard Bea Steiner broadcasting over the Voice of America . Sister Cordula is her favorite corresponding secretary. Traveling across country by train they found Alvena Ricke. Tired of carrying bed pans she is now stewardess on a train, handing out asprins by the handful. 1 The two little girls from Herington, Dorothy Sauer and Martha Samples, have established their exclusive nursing home in Alaska, admittance limited to rich old gold miners only. Pat also told me that Sister Julietta has taken over as Superintendent of Nurses at St. Francis. Along with her assistant, Lee Rauh, they have revised the system so as to have better satisfied nurses. Some of the changes are hot buttered toast for breakfast, no lunch meat, special privileges for everyone, and a private telephone in every room. Donna Chizek is assisting Mr. Stone in buying! the hospital equipment. I hear she is still running from counter to counter unting for the cheapest bargains. Katie Whitley and her husband Ralph have established their own mortuary and are raising little ambulance drivers. Ann Ruddick, finding Paul her dream man, has settled down to quiet living near Wichita. After training, Wanda Battle joined the Air Force, and liked it so well I hear she is still with them. She is now stationed at Forbes base in California, and is head of the officers club. Her main project is to make better satisfied airmen and student nurses, by making their hours and leaves coincide. Olly Denton has recently given up her position as instructor of medical students at Kansas University, and now is on her honeymoon touring Europe with her doctor husband. Iheard from Denton that on the plane they accidently ran into Betty Middaugh with Dr. Klapproth and their five little ones. They were on their way back to Germany for a family reunion. While over in Europe, Denton and Middaugh stopped off in Paris to visit an old classmate, Doris Gray. She is now married to the American Ambassador to France. Remembering her student days, she has supplied St. Francis Hospital with many single handsome French interns.

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SE Hill CLASS lllS'l'0llY On June 16, 1952, St. Francis School of Nursing, again opened their doors to Z0 sparkling girls. They were ready and Willing to learn to' light the lamps which would see them through the next uncertain three years, which in the end they hoped would bring to them the bright career of nursing. On September l, 1952, 54 lamplighters joined them, determined not to walk alone but ready to work together. On initiation the lamps flickered when the mighty Juniors tied green bows on us and labeled us as Probies. Soon, however, these lamps were burning bright when we received the school cap and no longer were labeled as little ones. A great event in our probie days was the first Fall Festival. Elaine Mizuguchi was our candidate for queen. Again our lamps were slightly dimmed as we bowed to the Seniors. But we were proud to come in second, with determination that the next two years we would work ourselves to victory. As Probies we elected Jeanette Hickel to lead our class as President. You should have seen us our first Christmas away from home! We wondered how we would ever live through it, but we soon learned that now we were a new family, a group of future nurses. We all attended Midnight Mass, then back to our rooms to unwrap our presents. We bid all a Merry Christnuas, and to our bed we went, dreaming of you back home, and with the hopes of in the morning bringing a Merry Christmas to our patients. ' Day followed day and as Freshmen we jealously watched the Juniors and Seniors dress for their prom, longing for the day when we would be upper- classmen. That year we were so glad to see May roll around. What relieving thought to put Anatomy, Microbiology, Pharmacologiy, and ai the rest on the shelf, with the hopes that just a little would stic with us. Yet how could we forget them when on the floor everyday we had to recall what we'd learned in class. All in all it really was a gay summer! September rolled around too soon, but we were more than glad to see some new Probies, and take on the title as upperclassmen. The lamps looked just a little brighter. That year Betty Middaugh was our class president, and oh yes, it was then when we proudl elected Dr. and Mrs. F. B. Poling as our class sponsor. They were so helfpful to us. We will never forget the wonderful times we had out at the Poling house with Polly, Lance, and Milton, Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Poling. It was this year when we began our departments, surgery, obstetrics, pivediatrics, and psychiatry. Now we really felt like we were making headway ho could ever forget our days on call, being awakened in the middle of the night to help save a life or bring another into the world. Another Fall Festival rolled around with Charlene Warner as our candidate. Again we came in second bravely congratulating the Seniors. Studies and work were hard, but time passed fast and soon it was Christ- mas with our beautiful class pins as a present. We all wore them proudly. In April we made the Broadview Hotel a historical place as we entertained the Seniors at the Junior and Senior prom. Then we watched the Seniors graduate and leave us, and again enjoyed the summer vacation without classes. E This year we were glad to see September roll around as we all donned the title of Seniors. Genevieve Powers led our class as President, while Darlene Winter presided as School President. Another honor to the Senior class was having Mary Biermann as Sixth District President. 'I'he lamps were burning much brighter, through them we could see our way to the end. At the Fa 1 Festival we proudly crowned our candidate Mary Biermann as queen. Santa broughtgold cuff links at Christmas with R. N. engraved on them. What a boost they gave us! We really enjoyed ourselves at the Junior and Senior prom where we were so well entertained by the Juniors. At last the great day we were waiting for came, our graduation day. The lamps of 47 lamp- lighters burned brightly into the future. Wearing corsages of American Beauty Roses, tied with ribbons of our colors, silver and blue, we sorrowfully but proudly bid good-bye to our school of nursing singing You'll Never Walk Alone , and down deep in our hearts lives our motto-- The lamp is heavy but the reward is great. 43

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PIHIPIIECY As they boarded the plane for home they were quite surprised when they met their airline hostess, Verna Tajchman. At present Vernie is trying to decide which of six handsome pilots she should marry. Stopping off in New York they attended an opera. Star of the operetta was Oleta Dickerson. After the opera, Oleta took them all down to Evelyn .Tackson's house. Evelyn is now the world's favorite model. In their spare time they do private duty in Bellevue Hospital, where they occasionally run into Ann Patzner, who scrubs for her husband doctor, a famous orthopedic surgeon. They travel all over the United States doing surgery. Ann has run into several of her classmates on their recent trip to Mayo Clinic. She saw Alice Zorn and Pat Heerey. Alice is head nurse in Urology, and she has supplied Mayo with many new rnethods which she learned from Dr. Pauley while at St. Francis. Due to Pat's love for first East, she is studying new methods for treatment of skin patients. Whi e talking to Pat and Alice, Ann heard of the admission to Mayo of two Wichitan's, namely Reese Blackmore and her husband Heindrich. They are being treated by a famous cardiologist. Traveling to Seattle, Washington Ann ran into Betty Berger. Bob was transferred there by Boeing, as President. Betty has taken up industrial nursing at his plant. Recently, I attended a meeting of the American Nurses Association in California. The guest speaker was our old classmate, Helen Bergkamp. She spoke on child psychology. After her .extensive study in psychiatry, she has travled all over making speeches, and in her spare time she writes. Her latest edition is Love 'Em and Leave 'Em. After the meeting Helen and I ran into Rinda Tritt. Due to her excellent experience as a nurse and her artistic abilities she has been commissioned by the ANA to design more efficient hospitals and hospital equipment. Rinda told us that she is helping Ellene Hamilton with the interior decorating of her ultra-modern apartment. Ellene is the nation's favorite nurse star. During Helen's travels she ran into Mary -Ellen Cheek, who is now living in Mexico with Bob. Living in their adobe hacienda, they grow cactus in the patio, which they ship all over the world. Also down there she ran into Delores May, who is now corresponding secretary for WHO fWorld Health Organizationl. She was making a study on Nursing in Mexico. Down in Florida, she found Annie Roets, sunning on the beach, She was trying to decide if she should marry Benny or join the convent. Traveling through Colorado she stopped off in Denver and there visited Joan Potts and her husband Vince. After learning to love children in pedia- trics she now has nine of her own. Vince has opened a pharmacy of his own and in .Toan's spare time she is trying to discover a new narcotic out of pine trees. Last, but not least Helen spoke of her dear old friends Leona Jasper and Darlene Winter. Leona is in Wyoming. Determined to marry an outdoor man, she went out there and roped a cowboy. She, with her husband and seven little cowhands star yearly in the Cheyenne Rodeo. Darlene, giving up her ambition to be a farmer's wife is now in the hills of Kentucky teaching midwives. Taking one last look at the new plaque on my door, I left my office wondering what the next ten years would bring for the class of 1955. Motto: The lamp is heavy but the reward is great Colors: Blue and Silver Flower: American Beauty Rose Song: You'l1 Never Walk Alone Advisor: Miss Virginia Brown 45