University Medical College - Scalpel Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

Page 141 text:

intendent of nurses at Bellvue Hospital, N. Y., where she remained for five years. If you now were to pass down a certain portion of Fifth avenue, N. Y., your notice would be forcibly brought to a beautiful and comfortable residence, the home of a well known New York surgeon, Dr. Smyth Webster and his family, a devoted wife and four chil- dren. Kingett is that mother. V Florence Haley flitted through training like a dreamy ray of belated sunshine. She was one of those beautiful, entrancing languishing creatures, destined never to marry, for old maids were born, not bred, so--she never married. After taking dancing lessons at the old Academy of Dancing on Tr-oost, Miss Wagner's if I remember cor- rectly, this awakened in her veins a long slumbering passion of fire, made dormant by her surroundings. So she later entered a theatrical school, and for many years starred in vaudeville. Oh, yes, Dear Reader, surely, you remember of the Gay Philisy Trifles of the theatrical world. Ah, in ordinary vernacular, she was great. Where is she now? Ah, let me see, yes, in New York, she in her old age, conducts a select dancing acad- emy for young ladies, and has founded a hospital for dumb animals. She is still a child of youth, acquiring instruction From the other side. Miss Nannie Williamson was another Kansas girl, from that well known uni- versity town, Ottawa. She was a charming little lady, fresh from high school, such a pretty fresh type, light wavy hair, azure blue eyes, a dream, indeed the sight of such a face was enough to win a sufferer back to health. It was an effort of our super- intendent to guard her sweet, innocent charms from the hosts of admirers, and this was considered a successful portion of her training. But when her course was com- pleted there was no kind protecting superintendent, so after nursing for a year in Kan- sas City she was stolen by a stalwart young man who took her, to be her strong and faithful guardian. So intoxicating were her innocent charms that he threw aside a blushing Texas rosebud. As a casual mention he was a U. M. C. student and graduat- ed in her class. I donit remember his name, but it was rather long, and contained in some part of it, the letters, K-i-r-k. They lived in Texas where he became a prominent physician. You remember in the story of The Clansmanf' a very popular book at one time, of Elsie Stoneman, who was such a kind sweet girl, who sought to make herself agree- able and helpful to all and was universally liked. Now that was the sort of a girl Cecil Liston was. Mother Liston as she was commonly known, due to, if you will allow me to express myself plainly, her rather plump and motherly appearance. She was large and kind and sweet Nothing small Cexcept her feetj Bawn and bredi' in Missouri brush She might listen, so let's hush. an earl a e she removed from Southern Missouri to Kansas City to become At Y g ,nore sophisticated in the ways of the world, she was just sweet sixteen then and never grew any older. Away back in childhood days, if I may thus figuratively express 1t, Lissie had a little romance. This was soon forgotten as she labored among the many er her care, ministering unto their needs and wishes. She became so infatuated with her work that -she decided to become an M. D. and at present is a throat specialist in one of the large New York clinics. In far away I-Iolland in the little city of Leydon, the birth of Rembrandt, the great Dutch artist, occurred. Fair old Leydon has about itself like a beautiful, unseen and fragile veil, a mysterious and classic atmosphere and as tradition relates this rare patients that came und

Page 140 text:

never told. Oh! thou art beautiful in mine eyes, fair daughter of Graffin. May I make thee unto myself a wife. The handmaidens of my father's house shall minister unto thee, my people shall worship thee, wilt thou then be mine? And she being a woman of few words, saith, Yes, Oh Prince, I am thine. And it came to pass that the prince returned to his own land, much rejoiced within himself. But alas, he shortly fell ill of a grievous plague, and did stralghtway pass into the land of shadows, even into Hades, and in many countries was there weeping and wailing f teeth. And the woman of Graffin went forth into the wilderness, and there, clad in sack cloth and ashes, did mourn for forty days and nights. Then she re- turneth to her land and mounting her beast did betake herself to a house, wherein she ministered unto the sick. And there went from her the death of the young prince, and even did she make merry and flirt with exceeding madness, with the young men of the school and she did sorely grieve the lady of the house. So great was her wrath against this foolish Graffinite, that she bade her straightway leave the house, and now in the wilderness doth she wail and tear herself, because she is not among them that did seek to love the lady and so she did pass into the land of everlasting sunshine even into the Elesyian fields. This is the story, and as I look back, I do hope if I may speak figura- tively, she came to a better end. Thus ends the thread of life. and gnashing o Anna Von Brun, was that her name? No-oh, yes, it might as well have been, for it became that later, it was then Anna Wood. She was a Virginia girl, a Southern dream. Though very independent, she was such a tiny, beautiful dollg but she made an ideal nurse, indeed was never known to break a rule. She was the coquette of the train- ing school. She cast the poor infatuated men's affections to the four winds. At length she discovered the real man, a patient. Just a trifle more of hospital romance. So great were her charms and so madly in love was he, that her almost magical influence brought about his recovery. So solicitious was she that she re- frained from going to her meals in her zealous and anxious care of him. Almost immediately on completing her training, they were married and after a honeymoon in Europe, they returned to Chicago, where the Hon. G. W. Von Brun was a leading lawyer. Evidently, desolated as I am to relate Cupid committed grievous er- ror, and apparently the young wife had been singing, Love, Marriage and Divorcef for soon she returned to Kansas City, with a decree of divorce in one hand and a sweet lit- tle French poodle in the other. She later entered a convent in Canada and to this day, ministers unto the poor, sick and afflicted. Moral: Trifling girls and flirting hens always come to some bad end. You have possibly heard of the man who went to Michigan to live, and later re- lated to former friends that 'tUp there, people were known as Michiganders. Presum- ably then, said the friend the women are Michigeese and the children Michigoslingsf' Persackly so. Well, Effie King was a typical Missouriander who said, f'Well, youalls says as how youalls don't reckon it won't hurt nothing nohowf' . Kingett was a dear popular little girl who made a tremendous success of her work, and was liked by all who knew her. After triumphantly completing her work here she took post-graduate work at St. Luke's Hospital, N. Y., also the course of Hos- pital Economics at Columbia University. Thus she came forth a well equipped and ideal nurseg and shortly became super-

Page 142 text:

phase clings to those who are fortunate enough to claim it as their birthplace. In this delightfully exclusive atmosphere occurred the birth of Katrina Wilhelmina Barkman. However, while still quite young her parents removed to this country, and settled in Kingston, N. Y. While visiting in Kansas, Katrina, wh-o had frequently meditated on the beauties of a nurse's life, learned of an excellent training school in Kansas City, Mo., which had an excellent reputation in many states, and so at length, dear old Barkie came. She was without doubt one of the sweetest and best girls that ever came to us, and this feeling I assure you was maintained by us all. Katherine Barkman was a true nurse and a lady, and what better can be said of a woman? After her work was fin- ished at the University Hospital Training Sch-ool, she nursed private cases for a year, after which she took post-graduate work at Cook County Hospital, Chicago and also took the course of Hospital Economics at Columbia University, N. Y. Then dear Bark- man became superintendent of nurses at University Hospital Training School, where she remained for three years. Then she became the wife of Dr. Composium Cathcart Cost, who occupied the Chair of Surgery in U. M. C. Barkie told me this when I met her not long since in Naples. They have a beautiful young daughter, who frequently visits me, as -she spends her summers in the study of art and music here in my coun- try. I must laugh as I recall our girlhood larks and escapades. How she would climb up the fire escape to avoid, well, I won't say what, at nights and the fudge she used to drop out of the window to the Medics. You see she really was sweet and good, and so Miss Forrester never suspected her of such pranks. Why actually one night we let her out of the window on a sheet to take a moonlight stroll. I wonder if Miss F. ever found that out, well, as I have frequently, and perhaps ambiguously said, 'iSuch is life. Carrie Gibbon-s was a Kansas girl from Coffeyville. We called her Coffey most of the time, but occasionally when she was in charge, temporarily, of the operating rooms, we always addressed her in our very best, quiet, dignified manner as Mis-s Gibbons. She was certainly devoted to her profession, and though many and varied were the attractions, both medically and financially, which used to persuade her to de- sert her chosen work, she would have none of them until, to the -dismay and consterna- tion of her friends, and she had many, she became interested in a widowed M. D. with seven children. He also owned a large sanitarium at Eudora, Kansas. Coffey managed the entire combination so successfully that now they rival Battle Creek in plant and equipment. Far away in Merry England years and years ago, near Hereford, in one of those beautiful old country places, was bo-rn a tiny, blue eyed, golden haired baby. From this tiny mite she grew into a pretty, dainty girl, the pride -of her home. At the age of 16 she came to America to pay a visit to her brother. Before leaving England she was very much interested in hospital work and after a few months in the United States she began to long again to be on duty. She at length came to the University Training School, and we certainly were very fortunate in having her to complete our class. Last but not least by any means. After graduating she returned home for a short visit. Merry England was entirely too small for a full-fledged American trained nurse. For several years she held an important position in one of the large hospitals in Boston, and is now in charge of the U. S. Army Nurses Corp at Washington, D. C. Thus we have chosen our many and varied paths, from a number of care-free girls we are now placed to compete with our fellow men, an-d as I sit here gazing on the won- ders of the firmament, on the marvelous handiwork of our Maker, my mind reverts backward and I cannot refrain from wondering if our dear Miss Forrester and Daddy Frankenburger are not proud of the class of 1908. I' B.