Celebrating Loyola Nurse Veterans
As a Loyola alum who has served in the military, you are personally invited to participate in an exciting new initiative entitled “Celebrating Loyola Nurse Veterans”. This oral history project is a collaboration between Loyola emerita faculty, Diana Hackbarth RN PhD and Vietnam era Navy Nurse Corp veteran; Karen Egenes EdD, nurse historian; Mary Ann Mc Dermott EdD, Loyola history expert; and University Archivist, Kathy Young.
The purpose of the project is to document and preserve the stories, photos and memorabilia of graduates of the School of Nursing who have served, or are currently serving, in the military. Documenting the military service, professional accomplishments and leadership experiences of nurse veterans will enrich and expand the proud history of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
The initial phase of the project, including the stories of Loyola nurses who served during the 1935-1946 World War II era, is available online now as a digital history exhibit.
Student nurses at St. Anne's Hospital School of Nursing work with an R.N., 1938
Rev. George Warth, S.J., chaplain of the 108th General Hospital, and Capt. Sara Abrams, chief nurse, are flanked by Loyola nurses from the unit, 1945.
The Women's Armed Service Integration Act was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on June 12, 1948.
Share Your Story
The next phase is to collect oral histories, photos and stories from Loyola nursing alumni who served in the military during each subsequent decade of the 90 year history of the School of Nursing. If you are willing to share your story we will contact you individually to provide further information. We will follow established oral history procedures which include providing an oral history consent form describing your rights as a participant and an outline of the type of topics to be discussed in an oral history interview. You will then be invited to schedule a 30-60 minute phone/zoom interview conducted by the oral history team. Any transcripts/written materials resulting from the interview will be shared with you for editing, revision or exclusion prior to archiving. No sensitive information will be included. Participants’ oral history stories and photos will be showcased online in the next phase of the digital history exhibit. In addition, your contributions will be available for scholars and researchers in the Loyola archives.
Remember, you do not have to have served in dangerous conditions or consider your military nursing service “extraordinary” to have your story educate and inspire future generations of nurses!
Please contact the Loyola University Chicago Archives and Special Collections at archive@luc.edu today to enroll and/or request more information. Be sure to indicate you are interested in the oral history project and include your name, email and phone contact information. You may also contact Dr. Hackbarth at dhackba@luc.edu who is happy to provide additional information and answer any questions you may have. As you may know, 2025 is the 90th anniversary of the School of Nursing and we would be pleased to acknowledge as many nurse veterans as possible! Hope to hear from you soon!
As a Loyola alum who has served in the military, you are personally invited to participate in an exciting new initiative entitled “Celebrating Loyola Nurse Veterans”. This oral history project is a collaboration between Loyola emerita faculty, Diana Hackbarth RN PhD and Vietnam era Navy Nurse Corp veteran; Karen Egenes EdD, nurse historian; Mary Ann Mc Dermott EdD, Loyola history expert; and University Archivist, Kathy Young.
The purpose of the project is to document and preserve the stories, photos and memorabilia of graduates of the School of Nursing who have served, or are currently serving, in the military. Documenting the military service, professional accomplishments and leadership experiences of nurse veterans will enrich and expand the proud history of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
The initial phase of the project, including the stories of Loyola nurses who served during the 1935-1946 World War II era, is available online now as a digital history exhibit.
The next phase is to collect oral histories, photos and stories from Loyola nursing alumni who served in the military during each subsequent decade of the 90 year history of the School of Nursing. If you are willing to share your story we will contact you individually to provide further information. We will follow established oral history procedures which include providing an oral history consent form describing your rights as a participant and an outline of the type of topics to be discussed in an oral history interview. You will then be invited to schedule a 30-60 minute phone/zoom interview conducted by the oral history team. Any transcripts/written materials resulting from the interview will be shared with you for editing, revision or exclusion prior to archiving. No sensitive information will be included. Participants’ oral history stories and photos will be showcased online in the next phase of the digital history exhibit. In addition, your contributions will be available for scholars and researchers in the Loyola archives.
Remember, you do not have to have served in dangerous conditions or consider your military nursing service “extraordinary” to have your story educate and inspire future generations of nurses!
Please contact the Loyola University Chicago Archives and Special Collections at archive@luc.edu today to enroll and/or request more information. Be sure to indicate you are interested in the oral history project and include your name, email and phone contact information. You may also contact Dr. Hackbarth at dhackba@luc.edu who is happy to provide additional information and answer any questions you may have. As you may know, 2025 is the 90th anniversary of the School of Nursing and we would be pleased to acknowledge as many nurse veterans as possible! Hope to hear from you soon!