District 17 of the New York State Nurses Association Archives.

District 17, the Nurses Association of Rockland County, was formed in 1948, under Chairwoman Gladys Weber and Secretary Josephine Gentile. Weber would go on to be elected the first president of the District. In 1951, the District’s Certificate of Incorporation was filed under President Martha Henry.

In the early days, the District performed a great deal of fundraising, to support operations as well as to fund scholarships and awards for nursing students and nurses. Throughout the 1950s, District events revolved around fundraising and included such activities as a merchandise club, theatre parties, fashion shows, “stop the clock,” and blouse parties.

The District later began to expand into hosting programs which would now be called “continuing education” programs. These programs were aimed at working nurses who desired to keep their professional knowledge fresh and remain aware of advances in the field of nursing.

The District has also supported, financially as well an nominally, studies performed by members of the District.

The District is still active to this day, hosting continuing education programs and providing professional support to the nurses or Rockland County. For information about current activities of the District, visit their Web site.

See the inventory list for this collection.

Ellis Hospital School of Nursing

The Ellis Hospital School of Nursing in Schenectady, NY was founded in 1903 as the Schenectady Hospital Association’s Training School for Nurses. (The name was not officially changed to the Ellis Hospital School of Nursing until 1958.) The first class was admitted in 1903, to graduate in 1906. In 1906 Ellis Hospital moved from its Jay Street location (at the site of the present Schenectady City Hall) to the corner of Nott Street and Rosa Road. At this time the hospital also constructed a residence for nursing students, Whitmore Home, and the following year the school was incorporated as department of Ellis Hospital in 1907. Over the years the School of Nursing has had affiliations with various local colleges, initially with Union College, then with Russell Sage College, and finally with the Schenectady County Community College (SCCC). It currently operates a joint 21-month Associate Degree program with SCCC.

The collection consists primarily of photographs, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks about both Ellis Hospital and the School of Nursing. Many of the School’s records are still kept at the School of Nursing at 1101 Nott Street in Schenectady, NY.

See the finding aid for this collection.

Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing Records

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. 

The original nurses quarters were located on the top floor of the hospital. One alumnae of the school wrote: “Although these quarters were crowded, two or three nurses occupying one room, and the only room which was not used as bedroom doing duty as both living-room and lecture room, yet no one complained and we had very happy times there. In the beginning, the students took care of the female patients only. Commencement exercises were not held for graduating students until 1903.

In 1894, the hospital moved to Blackwell’s Island (the name of which would later change to Roosevelt Island) and the name of the hospital was changed to Metropolitan Hospital. By 1907 the hospital reached a 1300 bed capacity and was the largest general hospital in the United States. Over the years, the hospital continued to grow and expand its scope. From 1949 to 1952 a home care service was instituted , and Metropolitan Hospital quickly grew to have the highest number of home care patients in the city hospital system.

In 1955, Metropolitan Hospital moved yet again. Its new location encompassed two city blocks in Manhattan. The hospital quickly outgrew its new home, and between 1957 to 1965, the facilities were greatly expanded, including the addition of a 14-story nurses’ residence. 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. Throughout the years, they have arranged for numerous publications concerning the School’s history and status.

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.

See the finding aid for this collection.

National Student Nurses Association Archives

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.

Council of Deans of Nursing: Senior Colleges and Universities in New York State.

Records of the Council of Deans of Nursing document the group's activities from its establishment in 1969. Primarily meeting materials and correspondence, the records have been maintained by the current chairperson. Bylaws and materials on selected topics of interest to the group are also included. Minutes of meetings of the predecessor group, the Conference of Deans and Directors, is included for 1964-68. These records chronicle issues of interest to nurse educators in New York state for the past thirty years. Several nationally prominent nurse educators have served as chairperson of this group.

Nurses House Archives.

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.

See the finding aid for this collection.

Teachers College Nursing Education Alumnae Association (Columbia University) Archives.

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 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.

Sisters Hospital School of Nursing Yearbooks.

Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, New York was founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1848. In 1860 the Sisters, who had by that time joined the French order of the Daughters of Charity, founded the Buffalo Lunatic Asylum. (The name was later changed to Providence Retreat in 1905.) In 1894, affiliation with various schools of nursing began to provide education in psychiatric nursing. Providence Retreat closed in 1943. Records for the hospital, schools of nursing and Providence Retreat can be found at the Hospital. Other Providence Retreat records are housed at the Daughters of Charity Archives in Albany, NY.

The Foundation archives holds a set of 21 yearbooks from the School of Nursing.

St. Peter's Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association

The St. Peter's Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association collection includes yearbooks, a nurses cap and papers and memorabilia of prominent alumnae of the Albany, NY nursing school. The collection is unprocessed and no finding aid is currently available.

Society of Rogerian Scholars Records

The Society of Rogerian Scholars (SRS) evolved out of a passion for learning about the Science of Unitary Human Beings experienced by those who were educated by Martha E. Rogers at New York University (NYU) and mentored when gathering in her apartment in New York City. In 1986, in Martha Rogers’s living room, the Society of Rogerian Scholars was born. The mission statement of the SRS states the purpose and philosophy of the Society is “to foster the development of the Science of Unitary Human Beings by providing a formal, organized structure for the stimulation, development and exchange of ideas. As an international organization, it provides avenues for nurses to network and grown in their understanding and application of Martha Rogers’s philosophy and science.

This series contains papers and publications of Francis C. Biley, PhD, RN and documents of the Society of Rogerian Scholars. As President of the Society, Biley’s papers include poignant glimpses into the person of Martha E. Rogers through her poetry and her memorial service and homage published in Open Mind. Publications produced by the Society of Rogerian Scholars as well as other professional papers delivered by Rogers, Biley and others at Rogerian conferences or written for various professional publications display a myriad of interests.

See the finding aid for this collection.

Council for Associate Degree Nursing in NYS, Inc.

Formed early in the development of the New York State Associate Degree Nursing Project, the Council of Associate Degree Nursing in New York State, Inc. began its existence as the New York State Associate Degree Nursing Council in 1959. The Council was incorporated in 1972.

The goal for creating such an organization was to gather individuals in Associate Degree nursing educatino to develop ideas and plans to strengthen Associate Degree nursing education in New York.

Over the years, the Council has taken part in compiling data for comparison of Associate Degree programs; produced resolutions, position papers, and fact sheets on vital nursing issues; held workshops and other programs to strengthen Associate Degree education; and provided a much needed opportunity for professional contact for Associate Degree nursing administrators and educators.

See the finding aid for this collection.