Samford University’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing honored 25 alumni for their “courage to care” during a September 17 awards gala.
The honorees, said nursing dean Dr. Nena Sanders, were nominated because they adhere to the maxims of the school’s namesake, the late Ida V Moffett, who once said, “It takes courage to care, to open the heart and act with sympathy and compassion.”
“We celebrate all of you for your excellence in all areas, especially in patient care,” said Dr. Sanders.
The award recipients all hold degrees from the School of Nursing or its forerunner, Birmingham Baptist Hospital. They represent a variety of specialties within the nursing profession.
The program included remarks by Samford vice president for university advancement Randy Pittman who noted that the university’s record enrollment of 4,715 this fall is in large part to the popularity of the nursing school with its record 650 students.
As the father of a recent Samford nursing graduate, Pittman said, he received an up-close and personal view of what the school is and what it means. “It’s not just about statistics and numbers, but it is about the day to day interchange between the nurse and patient.”
Also speaking from the heart was student Nicole Sargent, a mother of two who is enrolled in the school’s second-degree bachelor’s program. Sargent, whose youngest child was born three years ago with serious medical problems, expressed appreciation to the faculty for their caring spirit and to donors who make possible the scholarship help that she receives.
“Without people with courage to care, I couldn’t be here today. You are sowing seed into good ground,” said Sargent, who already holds a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.
Noted Dr. Sanders: “Scholarships do more than allow students to attend school. They change lives.”
Each Courage to Care honoree received an inscribed plaque. This year’s winners are:
Susie Bowden, medical nurse educator and clinical practice coordinator, Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Cynthia Briner, clinical excellence nurse manager, Brookwood Medical Center
Carolyn Chalkley, nursing education and Joint Commission specialist
Paula Lutz Davenport, director of surgical services, Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Mary Ann Davis, clinical education coordinator, St. Vincent’s Health System
Karen Faircloth, emergency room director, Trinity Medical Center
Gerald Forshee, charge nurse, hospitalist floor, UAB Hospital
Bridget T. Gilley, cardiovascular clinical educator, Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Kerry Gossett, chief certified registered nurse anesthetist, St. Vincent’s Birmingham/Anesthesia Resources Management
Delphene Hobby-Noland, director of women’s service-newborn intensive care unit, Brookwood Medical Center
Suzanne Holland, chief retention officer/manager of recruitment, St. Vincent’s Health Systems
Jessica Johnson, staff nurse, medical surgical floor, St. Vincent’s East.
Marcia Lowe, advanced nursing coordinator, medical division, UAB Hospital
Wanda Marquardt, nurse anesthetist, Medplex, Birmingham, and Andrews Institute, Gulf Breeze, Fla.; retired, Army Nurse Corps, U.S. Army Reserve
Frances McCurdy, manager, same day services and post anesthesia care unit, St. Vincent’s East.
Doris Jordan Myers, retired director of nursing service, Massillon Community Hospital, Massillon, Ohio
Laurie O’Dell, charge nurse, surgical intensive care unit, St. Vincent’s East.
Sylvia Rayfield, board chair, Sylvia Rayfield & Associates, Inc., president, Pathways, Inc., executive director, ICAN Publishing, Inc.
Sharron P. Schlosser, professor and coordinator of Master of Science in Nursing nurse educator track, Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing
Doris Strother, advanced practice nursing coordinator, cardiovascular services, UAB Hospital
Joy Whatley, professor and associate dean of the undergraduate program, Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing
Johnny Whitfield, charge nurse, surgical intensive care unit, UAB Hospital
Lynn Woo, charge nurse, early morning admissions unit, Trinity Medical Center
Regina Yarbrough, chief nursing officer, Princeton Baptist Medical Center
Nan Zeanah, clinical nurse, medical/surgical/oncology unit, Trinity Medical Center
The awards program was sponsored by benefactors Princeton Baptist Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Health System; and patrons Brookwood Medical Center, Judge and Mrs. Robert G. Faircloth, Paula and Kerry Gossett, Jo and Robert Kicker, Gretchen and Randall McDaniel, Money Family Trust, Mrs. Doris J. Myers and Trinity Medical Center.