Welcome to the Center for Nursing History!
Endowed by the Bellevue Alumnae in 2000, this Center is dedicated to preserving the magnificent history of Nursing in New York State. Please explore the Nursing Archives, read an oral history, view an exhibit, or visit the Foundation!
Bellevue Alumnae Center for Nursing History
The Jewish Hospital Medical Center Brooklyn School of Nursing
20 cubic feetMC56
The Brooklyn Jewish Hospital School of Nursing was founded in 1906 with the opening that same year of the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital on Classen Avenue. The first class graduated in 1908.Included in this collection are year books starting with the 1950s, textbooks, a box of glassplate negatives, bisque dolls clothed in student uniforms and caps, photographs of classes spanning 1912 to 1939, tea services used at the school, uniforms and other alumni memorabilia donated by Sue Rudnick, Susan Mayer, Edna Bernstein, Susan Lazar and Milagros Ilea.
Rita LaCouture Papers
2.4 cubic feetMC47
This collection contains personal and professional papers and memorabilia of Rita LaCouture (from the 1950s to her death in
1995) as well as books LaCouture owned, Bellevue booklets that fell into her possession, and a memorial binder. The papers
include letters, memos, collected materials, presidential notes, eulogies, and event programs. The memorabilia includes awards bestowed on Ms. LaCouture.
LaCouture's books include several books about nursing and Helen Wago's dissertation materials. The Bellevue
Booklets include Bellevue Annual Reports, Bulletins, Histories and editions of Crane and Cross yearbooks. The memorial binder
includes materials assembled in honor of Rita LaCouture's life, ranging from photographs to notes and fliers to copies of the
Seventh Annual Nurse Excellence Awards Ceremony and The Red and White, to a negative photograph.
Eleanor Lambertsen Papers
13.5 cubic feetMC15
Papers of Eleanor Lambertsen (1916-1998) documenting her illustrious nursing career.
Eleanor Lambertsen was a leader in American nursing education. She trained at the Overlook Hospital School of Nursing in Summit, NJ, and completed her education - BS and EdD - at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation, "Education for Nursing Leaders," completed in 1957, introduced the model of team nursing, a model that is still influential in nursing practice today. In 1958, she became the first Director of the Division of Nursing of the American Hospital Association. She remained in this position until 1961, whereupon she returned to Teachers College as the director of the nursing education division. From 1963 to 1969, she was President of the American Nurses Foundation. In 1970 she moved on to the post of Dean of the School of Nursing at Cornell University-New York Hospital. Her scholarly work created the basis for the revised legal definition of nursing in the landmark revision of the New York State Nurse Practice Act in 1972; she served consultant for the NYSNA Special Committee to Study the Nurse Practice Act from 1969 to 1972. In the 1970s and 1980s, she served on various boards and committees, such as that of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the World Health Organization's expert advisory council on nursing. She continued teaching well into the 1980s.
Ann M. Lewis Collection
3.7 cubic feetMC44
Ann Madeline Lewis, a graduate of St. Catherine's Hospital School of Nursing (SON) in Brooklyn, NY and St. John's University, NYC worked at St. Catherine's SON for 18 years. Later, she worked for the State Education Department as an Associate in Nursing Education for 20 years. Her records include personal and professional papers, photographs, and ephemera from her childhood, education and retirement spanning 1914-2006.
Cynthia R. Kinsella Papers
1.0 cubic feetMC45
This small collection contains some of the personal and professional papers and ephemera of Cynthia R. Kinsella spanning from her time as a student at Bellevue School of Nursing to her donation of the collection, 1941-2003. It includes items such as diplomas, her dissertation, nursing certifications, yearbooks, and photographs from her days as a nursing student at Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College, and Columbia University Teachers College. It includes such professional papers as correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches, publications, lectures, notes, pamphlets, and photographs from her time as Nursing Director at Bellevue Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, as well as her time working in Maine and Long Island.
Loeb Center for Nursing Records
0.4 cubic feetMC39
Administrative records of the Loeb Center for Nursing. The Loeb Center was a nurse directed nursing and rehabilitation facility established in 1963 at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. It was developed to solve the problems of fragmented care common in the 1950s and 1960s by providing 24-hour nursing care, medical supervision and daily evaluations to patients recently released from hospitals but still in need of rehabilitative care.
Erline P. McGriff Papers
8.45 cubic feetMC29
This collection contains primarily professional papers and memorabilia of Dr. Erline P. McGriff spanning 1924-2004. The largest amount of materials in this collection represent the many publications with which she she was involved throughout her career, the various awards Dr. McGriff received, and professional correspondence and papers relating to her positions at Trenton College and New York University.
Highlights of the collection include memorabilia and photographs from Dr. McGriff's trips to Asia. Also among the artifacts in this collection are plaques and medals received as honors by Dr. McGriff. While the photograph collection is small, it is highlighted by a photograph of a young Erline Perkins dressed as Florence Nightingale for a pageant.
Finally, the collection includes items relating to Martha Rogers, a colleague and friend of Erline McGriff's, including a great deal of correspondence at the time of Martha Rogers's death.
Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing Records
9.8 cubic feetMC36
In 1875, a Homeopathic Hospital (later to be called Metropolitan Hospital) was established by the New York Department of Public Charities and Correction. It was established on Ward's Island, opposite Manhattan Island, in buildings which formerly housed the Inebriate Asylum of New York City. From the beginning, Metropolitan Hospital has been affiliated with New York Medical College, and it is designated a university hospital. This is the oldest American partnership between a hospital and a medical school. In 1892 a Training School for Nurses was organized at the hospital; however, the School of Nursing closed its doors in 1958.
The Alumnae Association of Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing has been active since 1903. The Alumnae Association has been the group primarily responsible for preserving the history of the School.
Highlights of the collection include uniforms of former students of the School, a letter from Florence Nightingale which was presented as a gift to the School, and a film produced by the Alumnae Association.
Miscellaneous Small Manuscript Collections
22.5 cubic feetMC5
Miscellaneous small manuscript collections include letters, reports, speeches, awards, diplomas, examination papers, photographs and miscellaneous materials. These records provide information on the development of nursing in New York state. Included are papers of Janet P. Mance, president of NYSNA from 1974-1975. Other notable items are papers of NYSNA leaders Beatrice Van Homrigh Stevenson and Marion Sheahan Bailey; an 1878 letter from Florence Nightingale; and correspondence of Lavinia Dock which provides information on and insight into the political activities and liaisons involved in the passage and signing into law of New York's Nurse Registration Bill of 1903. Also included are the records of some small nursing organizations such as the Schenectady R.N. Club.
New York State School Nurse Teachers Association
2.1 cubic feetMC2
The New York State School Nurse-Teachers Association (NYSSNTA) was founded in 1931 by Mary Birmingham Enhrentreich to "promote school health service, standards in techniques, education standards of the nursing groups and cooperation between organizations, boards of education and departments in the state."
The records of the New York State School Nurse-Teachers Association, 1931-1978 (bulk 1950-1978), document the role of the Association in promoting school health service and standards in techniques and education. School nurse-teachers are dual professionals, licensed as registered nurses and certified as teachers.
National Student Nurses Association Archives
100 linear feetMC11
Partially processed records of the National Student Nurses Association, from its inception to the present. The National Student
Nurses' Association (NSNA) is the country's pre-professional association for nursing students. Involvement in NSNA prepares
students for involvement in professional associations upon graduation from nursing school, and provides members with
opportunities to become association leaders at the local, state and national levels. Throughout its fifty year history, NSNA has
engaged in a variety of programs and special projects. Included are meeting materials, information on officers and Board members,
extensive files on state student associations, publications, convention and workshop materials, and records documenting other
programmatic efforts of this national association for students.
New York State Council of Hospital-based Schools of Professional Nursing
0.2 cubic feetMC73
The New York State Council of Hospital-based Schools of Professional Nursing has been in existence for a long time. It was organized by Directors of Hospital-based
Schools of Nursing whose mission is to educate professional nurses. Contained in this collection are minutes, correspondence and papers spanning 1980 to 1984.
This collection is currently unprocessed.
New York State Nurses for Political Action
1.7 linear feetMC1
The New York State Nurses for Political Action (NYS-NPA) had its origins in the Nurses for Political Action (NPA), an organization formed in 1971 by a group of nurses from New York City and Long Island "concerned and disenchanted about trends in Health Care and the impact or lack of impact of nursing on these trends." The NYS-NPA was officially organized in May 1976 as an independent PAC. NYSNA supplied start-up money and other assistance, with liaison via NYSNA's Board and Legislative Program and the NYS-NPA Board of Trustees. NYS-NPA had two functions: to further the political education of nurses, including registration and voting; and to raise funds and make contributions to candidates for political office in New York state. NYS-NPA ceased to exist after the NYSNA Voting Body established a political action committee in 1991. NYSNA PAC bylaws provided for initial Board representation from NYS-NPA. Board of Trustees and committee minutes, annual reports, correspondence, speeches, clippings, flyers, and testimonies document the function of New York State Nurses for Political Action as a political action committee. Also included are copies of the organization's newsletter, Newsbeat, and photographs. Subject files address endorsement of political candidates, lobbying and legislation, liaison activities, and NYS-NPA's initiatives in educating nurses in the political process. Topics addressed include NYSNA's 1985 proposal for entry into professional practice, national health insurance and the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Records on N-CAP, ANA'S political action committee, include information on its formation, flyers, memoranda to state PACs and correspondence.
Nurses Environmental Health Watch Records
0.5 cubic feetMC30
The Nurses Environmental Health Watch (NEHW) was the first nursing organization advocating for environmental health,
including an environmentally safe hospital work place. NEHW was established to inform nurses and the general public
about environmental hazards that affect our health. It specifically called attention to routine nursing duties that
could negatively impact the health of nurses. This organization reflects the awakening to environmental consciousness
that began during this time period. NEHW was before its time as they investigated issues that are still being debated
today. NEHW records include a small collection of professional papers created and collected by Diane Mancino, EdD, RN.
Comprised mainly of paper records, this collection is divided into three series: Administration, Publicity, and Publications.
Nurses House Archives
16.0 linear feetMC14
This collection contains the records of the business activities of Nurses House from 1924-2002. It follows its growth as a vacation and convalescence home for nurses until the sale of the house in 1960. From that point on, it records the activities of Nurses House, Inc., a nationwide charity which works to assist nurses in need. It includes some records of Cobble Court, Inc., an enterprise begun and run by unemployed nurses during the Great Depression, which turned over its resources to Nurses House in 1935.
Highlights of the collection include a selection of portrait photographs of women involved in Nurses House throughout the years. These large, high-quality photos demonstrate the wide variety of leadership directing Nurses House through its various incarnations. Also found in the photograph collection are many candid and casual photos of nurses enjoying the house, grounds and beach house during its heyday in the 1940s and 1950s.
Another strong area in the collection is the very large body of committee reports, meeting minutes and annual reports. These records give a thorough view of the day to day business of Nurses House, as well as the changes that took place throughout the years. They represent a very long period of time, from the late 1920s through the 1990s.
Also of particular strength and interest are the histories of Nurses House. These Histories were written and printed for a variety of commemorative events, and provide insight into the attitudes toward Nurses House at different points in its existence.
Nursing Education Alumnae Association (Teachers College, Columbia Univ.) Archives
5.0 cubic feetMC22
The TCNEAA is the alumni association of the Department of Nursing Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, the first graduate program for nursing in the United States. The program was founded in 1899 with the intent of providing a university for nurses who wished to become superintendents of training schools or of hospitals. It was initially named the "Hospital Economics" program within the Department of Domestic Science; by 1912 this had become the "Department of Nursing and Health" and later, in 1922, the "Department of Nursing Education." The Alumni Association was created to care for alumni and support the school in the days before Social Security, when the school's program was still evolving and its future was uncertain. Once established, it provided scholarships for graduate nursing school, research grants, and small grants to alumni who were sick or indigent.
Included in these records of this partially processed collection are general, Board of Directors and Executive Committee minutes and meetings materials,
information on officers, conference materials, membership lists, registration and nomination forms, Nursing Hall of Fame
materials, Centennial Celebration materials, some professional correspondence and budget and expense reports.
Julie M. Pavri Papers
2.0 cubic feetMC41
The Pavri collections consists of books, articles, publications and other documents used in the process of writing the book Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future: A History
of the New York State Nurses Association.
Robert Piemonte Papers
16.5 cubic feetMC21
Materials of Robert V. Piemonte, EdD, RN, FAAN, a registered nurse, retired executive director of the National Student Nurses
Association, and current president of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). He was the second male president in the
Association's 100-year history. Educated at the Pilgrim State Hospital School of Nursing, Long Island University and Teachers
College, Columbia University, he has held various teaching and administrative positions in New York State and in national nursing
organizations, among them the American Nurses Foundation and Nurses House. He served as Chief Nurse of the 8th Army Medical Unit.
This collection contains papers and memorabilia from his professional and military nursing involvement, as well as military
uniforms and many of the plaques and awards he has received over the course of his career.
Professional Nurses Association of Western NY, District 1, NYSNA
12.0 linear feetMC3
District 1 of the New York State Nurses Association traces its origins to the Buffalo District Nurses Association which was organized in 1885, and became incorporated in 1891 with the object of providing nursing care for the citizens of Buffalo. When the American Nurses Association bylaws changes created district or county level affiliates of state nurses associations throughout the United States, representatives from the Buffalo Nurses Association and various alumnae groups in the Buffalo area organized and incorporated as the Western New York District of the New York State Nurses Association. Members of District I have worked at the local level to promote and implement suitable legislation and other programs initiated by the New York State Nurses Association, and has provided leadership to the Association. The records of District I of the New York State Nurses Association document fifty years of development and growth of the nursing profession in western New York. Records include various minutes and meeting materials, treasurer's reports, newsletters, correspondence, clippings, photographs, audio tapes, and 16 mm. films used to recruit students into the nursing profession (1945-65). Also included is a copy of History of District I, published in 1941. Records contain information on a variety of nursing concerns, including economic security, legislation, public health nursing and nurse recruitment.
