xt7k3j391h7q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7k3j391h7q/data/mets.xml The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. 1989 bulletins English The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletins Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 65, No. 2, Autumn 1989 text Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 65, No. 2, Autumn 1989 1989 2014 true xt7k3j391h7q section xt7k3j391h7q 'u`s
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US ISSN 0016-2116
Table of Contents
A Place to Remember... A Time to Reflect., - by Carl Severance 2
Where Else But Here? - by Lucille "Thumper" Knechtly 4
Kate Ireland Honored for her Dedication to Nurse-Midwifery 9 `
Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing's 100th Class 10
Take Care Of... by Kitty Ernst Q
A Visit with Home Health Care Providers — by Carl Severance, Sandy Mathis
and Susan Snider 15
Urgent Needs 18
Beyond the Mountains - by Deanna Severance 19
Field Notes - by Cari Michaels 21
The 28th Annual Mary Breckinridge Festival (a photo display) 23
Courier News - by Cari Michaels 25
Ir1 Memoriam - by Ruth Morgan 26
Memorial Gifts - by Ruth Morgan 27 `
COVER: The stained glass window ir1 the St. Christopher Chapel, depicting St.
Christopher.
FRONT1ER NURSING SERVICE QUARTERLY BULLETIN ,\
Us ISSN 0016-2116
Published at the end ofench quarter by the Prmtkr Nursing Service, Inc. ,
Wendcvcr, Kentucky 41775 ‘
Subsaipdmi Price $5.00 n Yen
Editor': Offlce, Wendover, Kentucky 41775
VOLUME 65 NUMBER 2 FALL 1989
Second-class postage paid at Wendover, Ky. 41775 and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Frontier Nursing Service, Wendover, Ky. 41775.
Copyright 1986, Frontier Nursing Service, Inc.

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2 FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE i
A Place to Remember...
A Time to Reflect". r
As we rush headlong into the Holiday Season (that each year seems to be more
hectic than the last) it is easy to overlook the transcendent message of Christmas. _
But what each of us does here at Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) is intimately i
tied up with that message. And just as it’s important to have a place for each of
our activities, we also need a place for spiritual renewal which for us here at FNS {
is the St. Christopher Chapel. Even though there was a chapel room at Wendover,
it was long adream of Mary Breclcinridge's to one day have a chapel building, for A
she always said, "A place of healing needs a place for prayer."
It wasn’t until 1960 that a small stone chapel was constructed on N
Hospital Hill adjacent to the hospital (now the Frontier School of Midwifery and ‘
Family Nursing) in recognition of the spiritual dimension of FNS activities. It I
was intended that the chapel be available for the use of staff, patients, family
members and visitors. The chapel’ s first midnight service was held on Christmas
Eve of 1960 with dedication and consecration occurring the following spring. l
Even though the chapel is simple, it has one remarkable feature - a
glorious ancient stained glass window depicting St. Christopher. It was thought
to be of French or Flemish origin, dating to the 14th or 15th century. (More recent ,
analyis indicates that the window is English, probably from York). Prior to being ’
installed at the chapel this window was in the home of Dr. Preston Pope Satter-
white, a relative of Mrs. Breckinridge. She had often remarked that if the Frontier
Nursing Service had a patron saint, it would have to be Saint Christopher and,
after some persuasion, Dr. Satterwhite kindly gave the St. Christopher window ,
to Mary Breckinridge. However, it was another twenty-two years before the (
chapel was built and the window finally displayed. I
Why Saint Christopher? The ancient legend of Saint Christopher,
which used to be read aloud each Christmas Eve at Wendover and each Christmas I
Day at the hospital in Hyden, portrays a strong and honorable man whose one L
desire is to serve the mightiest prince in the world. He chooses first an earthly C
king, but becomes disillusioned when the king exhibits fear of Satan. Christo-
pher, seeing that Satan is mightier than the earthly king, changes his allegience
to the prince of darkness. When Satan, in turn, shows fear at the sign of the cross, ·
Christopher seeks to know more about the king who must be mightier than Satan.
A hermit living in a desert reveals the power of Christ, and gives Christopher the
task of carrying travellers across a great and dangerous river in service to the
mightiest of kings. This he does for many days. At length a child desires to be
carried across the river. As Christopher begins to cross, the water rises to a flood
and the child becomes heavier and heavier, as though the whole world were
bearing down on his shoulders. Upon reaching the shore, the child tells Chris-
1
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1

l QUARTERLY BULLETIN 3
topher that he has bome not only the whole world but also Him who made the
world. As a sign, Christ tells Christopher to plant his staff in the earth by his
house. The next moming Christopher finds that the staff has bloomed, bearing
flowers, leaves and dates.
, How man of us who have been drawn to FNS over the ears have had
( _ Y Y
_ Just such a circuitous pilgrammage? And how many of us have borne burdens
;; that grew heavier and heavier, and threatened to overwhelm us? In the early days
this was literally true, as midwives and couriers forded swollen creeks and rivers
i on foot or on horseback. Now the streams and the burdens are different, but the
‘ fCh tph b Clmt th ll tr trllpakto
image o ris o er earing `s across e swo en s eam s ` s e s
l each member of the Frontier Nursing Service community in a personal way.
The stillness of the Saint Christopher chapel remains the perfect place
·' to reflect on what brou ht each of here, and to remember where our stren th will
| 8 S
1 come from for burdens yet to be bome and streams yet to be crossed.
r - Carl Severance
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` The interior of the St. Christopher chapel showing the stained—glass window at
the far end above the altar.

e
4 FRONTIER NURSHWG SERVICE
Where Else But Here?
Miss Lucille “Thumper" Knechtly kindly gave permission for the
QuarterlyBulletin to reproduce excerpts from her recently published
book, Where Else ButHere? As she states in the book. "[ have related I
some ofthe amusing and perhaps unique experiencesl was privileged
to have, or to observe, at Wendover, and elsewhere in Leslie and ··
surrounding counties. These tales will hopefully serve not only to _
entertain those not privileged to know Wendover in the "old days" but i
will, I 'm sure, bring back personal rememberances to many. " For a yr
copy of Where Else ButHere? send a check or money order for $9.00
to: Miss Lucille Knechtly, 208 Beechwood Apartments, Hyden, KY I
41 749. Net proceeds will be donated to the Frontier Nursing Service. l
Wendover
It was dark. Shouse drove her old Chevy through a creek bed, then crossed what
she told me was the Middlefork River and continued up a dirt road with the river I
and pasture on one side, foreston the other. After what seemed ages (it was only I
a few miles), she waved toward the mountainside, "That’s Wendover," she said.
I saw no lights, no buildings, nothing but trees. We made a sharp left turn. g
"This is Pig Alley!" she exclaimed. In a few minutes we were in front I
of what was called the Garden House, and were met by the night watchman with
a kerosene lantem and Agnes Lewis (FNS' Executive Secretary), the gracious l
lady who had interviewed me in Cincinnati and persuaded me to take this I
secretarial advent11re into the Kentucky hiHs. "You’ll be living on the Upper `
Shelf," said Agnes. "Gordon will take you up. Do you have a flashlight'? l
Everyone must have aflashlight to get around here. We’ll see you in the moming.
Breakfast at 7 :30." "Breakfast where?" I wondered. "They’re putting me on a
shelf. There is no electricity. People live in a garden house. Whatkind of aplace
is this?" ,
Gordon Morgan took my bags and we began the climb of 101 stone steps 2
to a frame building with four bedrooms. It stood on stilts on an upper shelf of land 1
- hence the "Upper Shelf." We reached what was to be my room for some twelve ;
years and Gordon kindly showed me how to light the kerosene lamp. I washed S
up in a granite wash basin, one of the provided necessities along with a granite p
pitcher and a granite p0tty. Reluctantly, I finally blew out the lamp questioning {
my saneness to have left a safe, mundane job and the convenience of a modem 4
Cincinnati apartment for the wilds of Kentucky. What, I wondered, would the
moming bring?
Next moming outside my door was a scene I hadn’t expected: wildflow- "
ets bloomed in profusion; red birds flitted about; a chipmunk scampered along
the wooden walkway. The freshness of a spring moming in the mountains gave
me a different perspective than I’d had the night before. l

1
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(I
il QUARTERLY BULLETIN 5
N
l Rememberances of Horses".
During my interview with Agnes Lewis in Cincinnati, she lured me by
telling me of six week’s vacation with pay each year, and that horses were usually
I available for secretaries to ride during their time off. Now I had been around
horses on the farm where I grew up in Ohio, and I often rode rented horses on the
Z bridle paths around Cincinnati - riding at Wendover was quite different!
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% British nurse-midwife Joyce Stevens astride the infamous Rex.
Several of the horses had the reputation of slipping their bridles, one
_ such was Rex. On one occasion, nurse Margaret McCracken had ridden him
X from the Confluence Center to a nearby school. She took his saddle off and
hitched him with a rope (safe enough she thought) while she gave the children
A typhoid shots. Rex repaid her kindness by getting loose. He didn’tleave her but
. would not let her catch him either. He walked home just a few steps ahead of her.
Tired from a long day on district, McCracken had to carry the saddlebags and
. Rex’s saddle!
q Other Animals...
Barnyard animals and fowl played importantroles in FNS life. Everyone
· had to go through Pig Alley to reach Wendover. A brood sow named Edna and
her piglets were always there, with their greetings of friendly grunts and poignant
, smells. Mrs. Breckinridge’s beloved Juliette (her son Breckie’s nurse) named
the first Wendover sow "Edna” in 1926, and every subsequent sow through the
years was called "Edna."
The chickens, pigs and geese (as well as the gardens) were Mrs.
Breckinridge’s hobbies. The chickens lived on what Mrs. Breckinridge called
j "residential flats," on the hillside above the bam. They ate table scraps and gave

6 FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE !
T
us eggs and meat. Each day after lunch Mrs. Breckinridge went to the kitchen ~
and mixed the swill - all the left·overs and peelings, sour milk, spoiled l
vegetables, whatever. Mrs. Breckinridge mixed this delectable mess with her I
hands and insisted it was the best hand lotion ever!
a .
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A view of Pig Alley. `
Nurses... ,
Joyce Stevens, a British nurse-midwife, took me with her to witness my I
first home delivery. It was night time. As we drove along in the jeep, which had
replaced the horses, Stevie planned what we should do if the patient, who had a 3
history of difficult deliveries, should have to be moved to the hospital. There was
no electricity - only a kerosene lamp. I was given a flashlight to hold as a I
spotlight. The whole time I kept wondering if the proceedings were normal. ~
They were, and when Stevie had safely delivered the baby,I feltproud - and tired. i
I had done nothing but hold the flashlight, yet I'd suffered every childbirth pang *
along with that mother.
There were many Christmas experiences one of which happened at the Q
Bowlington Center with British nurse-midwife, Betty "Hilly" Hillman. Each of i
the six outpost nursing centers always gave a Christmas party for the families in I
its district. A courier and I had gone to help "Hilly" pack some one hundred `
family bags with clothing, toys, candy and an orange for each child. All this was #
made possible by friends beyond the mountains who sent hundreds of shipments
of clothing and toys, and gave money designated to buy fruit, candy and party Q
refreshments. On the day of the party the courier, dressed as Santa Claus, 1
mounted "Hilly's" white horse, Kemo, and came charging down the hill from the \
bam with a pack on her back. The children were delighted! In those days (l940's)
this was the only Christmas celebration many of the children had.
l

QUARTERLY BULLETIN 7
. · { ·' Y · j ` 5 A C0uriers...
J, ~ g AV»_ ' ` ` · Mrs. Breckinridge was a gener-
_.l’ , A j ous soul. Once she sent Jean Hollins,
·¤-"`? .`“‘~ ‘ - ' residentcourier from Long Island,N.Y.,
A l ‘ I l O ‘ " and a junior courier to Louisville with a
j_ * l ` , . pick-up truck loaded with cow manure
\ . W » V for trustee Mrs. Charles Moorman’s
` · {_ . rose beds. When they got there they dis-
, ` , Y V Q covered that Mrs. Moorman was having
U I a formal tea! Jean smelled of manure
` , A f ‘_ , ·_ · _ but she didn’t fret, "Oh! that's alright,"
·,g '_ v_ .- she said to the junior courier, "I’ll just
;_ _ T _,, i _, ; put on my white gloves and go on in!"
·_ wsj} Many junior couriers came back
‘ Q L V ; aca ; . as senior couriers. Freddy Holdship
°—· ’Y‘“'*- · ‘”`°**#"` · I from Sweickley, Pa., was one of them.
C¤UV!9I H6!9¤ "P9bb!9" SY¤¤9- Memories of our escapades would fill
another book! Many of the couriers entertained and sustained me on my tours
outside the mountains with Mrs. Breckinridge, particularly Fanny Mcllvain in
Philadelphia, Marion Lewis (Shouse) in Washington, D.C., and Helen Stone
(Pebble) in New York.
It was Pebble who gave me my nickname "Thumper." Once, as I was
pounding away on my typewriter, Pebble appeared at the Big House oftice
window and announced, "I’m going to call you Thumper." She did, and so did
everyone else in FNS from that time on. Then there is Kate Ireland. We are both
from Ohio, both animal lovers - especially dogs. Often in the evenings we’d load
up all the Wendover dogs and drive into Hyden for ice cream cones. A real treat
for dogs and people alike!
Kate’s pet peeve is pigs. One hot July day Kate and Hobert Comet were
given the chore of taking an old "Edna" to market in Lexington. As they drove
down Main Street on the way to market the noon whistle blew. Fat old Edna
panicked and the board on the pick-up could not hold her so out she jumped!
After much excitement and the help of some on-lookers, Kate and Hobert
managed to get old Edna back in the truck and delivered to market on a day when
‘ hog prices were at an all-time high! Today, Kate’s home near Wendover,
, "Willow Bend," houses quite a collection of ceramic pigs, needlepoint pigs, pig
pictures and pig figurines of all descriptions!
Rememberances ofthe Director".
Mrs. Breckinridge, from the very first days of the Frontier Nursing
Service, did all in her power to make the staff comfortable. It wasn’t easy in the
l920’s and l930’s to have furnaces, bathroom fixtures and plumbing hauled by
mule team from the Hazard railroad to Wendover, Hyden and the six outpost
1
1

Q
8 FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE
nursing centers. She persevered. I have had folks who knew her say, "After the
Lord made Mary Breckinridge He threw away the mold." I agreed. Her
intelligence, vision, leadership ability and energy at age 62 when I became her
secretary, surpassed most person’s I have known at any age!
Mrs. Breckimidge demanded much of her staff but she always did more
than any of us. She began her day at 4:00a.m., with coffee and devotions. Each
aftemoon as she returned from feeding the chickens, or working in the garden, _`
she stopped for a time of meditation and prayer in the Wendover Chapel room.
I survived the twelve or so years as Mrs. Breckinridge’s personal
secretary by keeping my mouth shut, my ears open, an unabridged dictionary at _
my side and by making the acquaintance of one Charles Dickens! She was `
always quoting him and fortunately there was a set of Dickens’ complete works
in Mrs. Breckinridge's living room library where I could check all those quotes!
Epilogue
Times indeed have changed since 1942. Electricity and good roads have
made mountain life physically easier. Good schools are a boon to the young.
Much economic progress has been made in mining and lumbering, the only in-
dustries in the area. There still remains much unemployment and poverty and
there just aren’t enough jobs to go around. As I visit the areas still served by the
"nurses" I see the continuing need for good medical and nursing care, close by,
at affordable prices. The unique spirit
that prevailed in my day (1940’s and V. , J _,_\_. . 2 . p
1950’s) in the FNS organization still Vi _. .__W iv _
· · - l , V" ' ii'`
exists; a spirit that has always set the T. ....
Frontier Nursing Service apart. In my .,..; .i.» . A `
day none of the staff were working for I 2
material gain. I doubt they are today, by _¤; ` . T g
outside standards. j A A ‘ A
Those of us from the "outside" , ‘· ‘ _ ,_q if
were here because each in our own way *—;i.` _ Q ·
wanted to serve. We believed in our- · if _
selves as human beings put on this earth . { — ’—‘=~‘ ‘
for something else besides material gain. A _ T~* j .
What I gained was more lasting more ii E .4 A; { vw .
satisfying than gold - a deep friendship E5 I . J, - _ l.A
with a group of folks who accepted me, ,j· _ ¤‘
loved me, put up with me and always - .
evein now - make me feel welcome in their
ml st. .2 . ··a.a- ;:/ 4 ¢‘~~c · < *~’e"f°» ~
- Luczzze "Thumper" Knechtly The ¤¤th¤r in 1944-
tl
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’ QUARTERLY BULLETIN 9
l
( Kate Ireland Honored for her
l Dedication to Nurse-Midwifery
( Miss Kate Ireland, National Chairman of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS)
Board of Governors, was presented with the first Kate Hanna Harvey award by
·i the Frances Payne Bolton (FPB) School of Nursing in honor of her tireless work
f promoting the nurse-midwifery profession.
The award was presented at the annual Kate Hanna Harvey Invitational
·. Conference; a two-day invitational deliberative conference that this year focused
on Cleveland’s infant morbidity and mortality rates.
Kate Hanna Harvey, who was Kate Ireland’s grandmother, was a
t dynamic Cleveland community leader. She played a key role in the development
of the Frances Payne Bolton School. The Kate Hanna Harvey award is presented
to commemorate the commitment to nursing and community health of its
namesake.
Miss Ireland has been a long time supporter of the use of nurse·midwives
and nurse practitioners to increase access to health care for the poor, and in
I underserved regions. She has been National Chairman of the Board of Gover-
nors since 1975.
· I I S i D ( nen n r e I B
` ·-
_ { _., .... V __:‘·i _...._ . .... . . .__
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Kate lreland (left) receives her award from Joyce Fitzpatrick, Dean of the
I FPB School of Nursing as Deanna Severance, Directorof FNS, looks on.

l0 FRONTIER NURSHWG SERVICE
Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing’s
100th Class
_· $ 3 ¤S.· · if —~=’ %
ti "
. K .- ; M _.
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Students of the 100th class: Top (l-r) Randall Carroll, Al Goldstein and Sr. ,
Noreen Moran; Center (I-r) Heidi McKinley, Nancy Bryant, Deborah Focken
and Linda Jones; Bottom (I-r) Kim McQuoid, Kate MacNeiI, Paula Stephens-
Bibeau and Michele Handelman.
Sister Noreen Moran is originally from Chicopee, MA, and has been a Sister f
of St. Joseph of Springfield, MA, for 29 years. Sr. Noreen has a B.A. in
Mathematics and a B .S. in Nursing from Elms College. She taught mathematics
for 19 years, including a period of time in Kenya, East Africa. After completing
her R.N. Diploma from St. Vincent’s Hospital, Worcester, MA, where she
worked as a staff nurse on the medical/surgical floor. After moving to Spring- ·
field, MA, she worked with HealthCare for the Homeless. Sr. Noreen hopes to
use her nurse-midwifery and family nursing skills in an underserved area after
she graduates. ‘
Heidi McKinley is originally from New York State where she eamed a B.A. in
French from Oberlin College and an M.S. in Nursing from Pace University. She ,
has worked in publishing and served as a volunteer at a women’s health clinic in
New York City. For the past two years Heidi worked as a labor and delivery nurse
at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. She is interested in working overseas .
and in the United States educating women about reproductive issues. ·

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K QUARTERLY BULLETIN 11
i Nancy Bryant is from Arkansas where she obtained her B.S. in Nursing about
. 10 years ago. For over seven years Nancy worked as a critical care nurse in large
medical centers in Arkansas and Texas. She also spent three years as a volunteer
i nurse with the Southem Baptist Convention. Nancy feels her most rewarding
work was in a famine camp in Ethiopia. After graduating from the Frontier
School she plans to complete her Master’s Degree and work in the area of
,, indigent health care.
Al Goldstein is originally from Baltimore and the father of three children. He
; is married to Debbie Goldstein, a certified nurse-midwife who graduated from
" the Frontier School and who currently works at the Kate Ireland Women’s
HealthCare Center. A1 obtained a B .A. in Psychology and a B .S . in Nursing from
the University of Maryland and has been a Commissioned Officer with the
Public Health Service since 1979. His work has been predominantly in Indian
Health Service Hospitals and after graduation he plans to retum to the Navajo
Reservation. Eventually he wants to pursue his Master’s Degree in Emergency
Nursing and work as a family nurse practitioner in rural underserved areas.
Linda Jones is originally from Florida. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Florida
State and a Master’s Degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of
Florida. Linda”s background in nursing encompasses many areas - psychiatric
§ nursing, a supervisor in a nursing home, and clinical research. Additionally, she
A has worked in the Education Department at the University of Florida, and as an
Administrative Assistant in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology where
among other duties, she coordinated the Perinatal Diabetes Team. In 1985 she
moved to North Carolina where she worked as a labor and delivery nurse and
I later a nursing instructor. After graduating from the Frontier School Linda plans
to live and work in a rural area.
Debbie Focken is from Michigan and lived in Germany for two years when her
husband was in the service. During this time she worked at an Army Hospital
_ as an R.N. After returning to Michigan, Debbie went to school part-time while
raising her children and eamed a B.S. in Psychology and Nursing. Most of her
nursing experience has been in laborand delivery,postpartum and nursery. After
_ seeing a slide show about the Frontier Nursing Service she decided to come to
Hyden to study nurse-midwifery.
Michele Handelman is originally from New York City. She has a B.A. in
* Psychology and Sociology and also a generic Master’s Degree in Nursing.
, Michele has worked on a public health research project with migrant workers in
] Maryland and Virginia, and for the past year and a half has been in New York
f City working as a staff nurse in infant medicine, pediatric neurology and
j, oncology. Her interests lie in teaching coping skills and providing support for
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12 FRONTIER NURSHQG SERVICE Z
families in crisis. As a family nurse practitioner Michele plans to work in i
preventive and acute health care and hopes to do more work overseas. il
Kate MacNeil is from Boston, MA. As a student she did volunteer work for just
over two years in an independent nurses’ clinic located at a shelter. There she
encountered a philosophy of care that gave clients choices and respected their ¥
individual dignity. In 1986 she received her B .S. in Nursing and went on to work
as a staff nurse in labor and delivery at Beth Israel Hospital. Recently, Kate spent T
two weeks in Nicaragua learning about their health care system and two months ;
working at a birthing center near Boston where she had her first experience with ,
nurse-midwives. She plans to work in a birthing center in Harlingen, Texas after
she graduates from the Frontier School.
Kim McQuoid has lived the majority of her adult life in rural settings. Her *
education is broad, ranging from forestry to a B.S. in Nursing. Conversely, her t
work experience is also varied - herding goats in California, working in a rm·al [
health clinic, and supervising in a hospital’s obstettric department. Becoming a E
midwife has been a l2 year dream of Kirn’s. She hopes that with the knowledge ’
and technical skills she learns she will be able to help solve some of the perinatal
problems in her own "back yard."
Randall Carroll is originally from Greeneville, South Carolina. Randall has
earned his B.S. in Nursing and Education, plus a Master’s degree in Nursing. He
has worked in emergency rooms and labor and delivery. He was accepted into t
the Frontier School in advanced standing to complete the midwifery course and
will be the School’s first male certified nurse-midwife. After graduation he ,
hopes to do medical missionary work.
Paula Stephens-Bibeau is from Indianapolis where she currently works part- I
time as an ob/gyn nurse practitioner. She has eamed her B.S. in Nursing as well
as her Master’s Degree. Paula will be retumig to Indianapolis after she graduates p
from the Frontier School to work as a certified nurse-midwife.
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. QUARTERLY BULLETIN 13
Take Care Of...
4, A Charge to the Frontier School of Midwifery
and Family Nursing 's 99th Graduating Class
{ As promised in the last edition of the Quarterly Bulletin, the
A following is the address given to this year’s graduating students of
.» the Frontier School by Keynote Speaker, Mrs. Kitty Ernst, herseh' a
1 graduate of the School and currently Director of the Community
Q Based Nurse-Midwyery Education Program (CNEP).
·l
l "You may be just a small band of family nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives
` taking this joumey, but the number of lives you will touch along the way with
‘ your knowledge and skills, your insights and compassion, will be a legion. I
’ don’t know if any of you view yourselves as missionaries, but it doesn’t matter,
Y because like it or not you will be missionaries. I can tell you from personal
I experience that you cannot leave this place and not have a mission.
’ Your mission over the next few decades will be the same as those who
have gone before you. When I graduated from this school, Mary Breckinridge
handed me my diploma and said, ‘Go forth my child and take care of mothers and
babies. ’ Today you have much greater knowledge, much better skills than I had
at that time. You will go forth and take care of mothers and babies, children and
; families and grandparents much better than I, for you have had a unique and
I splendid education.
‘ That charge...Take Care Of... three little unqualified words. It is not to
1 'take care of" from 9 to 5, or when you can tit it in or when you have nothing better
i to do. It is not to 'take care of" if people have insurance or can pay their bills. It
is not to 'take care of if people are white and attractive. "Take care of means to
take the time to show concem, communicate compassion, give comfort, instill
, confidence in addition to processing procedures and tasks.
_? When Mary Breckinridge said it to me more than 35 years ago, it rang
} in my ears that aftemoon as I rode over these mountains to the Bowlington Center
` where I was going to be the midwife alone for four months. The confidence she
I gave me with those three little words was incredible. She didn’t say, ‘Go and
y take care of mothers and babies in a tertiary care center so you can get a volume
S of experience or improve your skills.’ No. She trained me, she trusted me, and
A I responded in kind. She took care of me.
Lest you think that I am suggesting you allbecome martyrs to the mission
you will fulfill on your continuing joumey, let us consider other dimensions of
_ ‘take care of.’ Mary Breckinridge held a dimensional view. Remember, her
° primary concem for establishing the Frontier Nursing Service was to care for
, children. To her all other work seemed puerile. She believed that if you took care
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14 FRONTIER NURSING SERVICE
of the mother, the mother would in turn
take care of the child - leaming from you
the meaning of ‘take care of.’ She also _,
believed if you also took care of the
family and their environment, the _ · ,
mother would have continued supportto
take care of the children. Thus, the fs? ''.A _
Frontier Nursing Service nurses were { C; . "
involved in immunizations; eradication ·.=i ,=° '
of parasites; veterinary medicine; pro- __'_4 __,,:¤·"`
curing food, shelter,clothing and