Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Alumni Day

October 20, 2023

Brenda and Rod attended this year's celebration of the annual Alumni Day. The theme of this year's gathering was "Promises to Keep ...Through the Years". We had attended previous such celebrations in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2003 when she was inducted into the Hall of Honor. In 2002 was the Centennial celebration. Earlier, there was a GBH Alumni Day in 1995.

The opening session was a Panel Discussion - Preparing for Future Roles in Nursing and Health Care. The three participants had been asked to review their career paths as a way to suggest appropriate experiences for current nurses. Note that the three have initial nursing degrees separated by about ten years, so the presentation and discussion session covered over thirty years.

Brenda Nave, 1962, Career Nurse, Retired

LaMae Williams, 1971, Former Owner, Three Rivers Home Health Services

Laura Madden, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2016, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Georgia Gwinnett College.

Brenda was the first of the three presenters, and there was a time for questions between and after the presentations. Brenda's planned presentation is reproduced below, an overview of her career path.

Starting with their initial nursing education and beginning experience as nurses, they described the variety of career paths which followed. LaMae described the partnership that developed between her, Kay Burnham Smith, and their husbands in developing an extensive Home Care service headquartered in Eastman, GA. (Hall of Honor, 2002). Laura described her growing interest in teaching from her early nursing career, leading to three more degrees culminating in a doctorate and a teaching career.

There was time for questions and discussion in this session. It was good to hear from Susan Gunby, who is remaining active with the Alumnae organization.

Between sessions there was active visiting. Brenda talks with Dare Domico, LaMae, and the mother of physician Stephanie Singleton who presented in the second Panel Discussion. Brenda had worked with Dare at GBMC in the development of the stroke center. Dare was on the faculty of GBCON until her retirement.

The Luncheon was a great time for fellowship with friends and colleagues. LaMae Williams, Debbie Miller, Jeane Ed.., Brenda, Edith Fox

Brenda enjoyed visiting with Kathy Sitton, with whom she had worked at GBMC. Jim and LaMae Williams in background.

We were at the luncheon table with Jim and LaMae Williams, Debbie Miller greets them.

Brenda had an enjoyable visit with Debbie and Kathy, long-time colleagues and friends.

Memories & Experiences at GBH Hospital School of Nursing

(Brenda had only about 10 minutes for her part of the session, so she didn't get to cover all of this. I also wanted to include some items from her earlier, longer document, so this can be considered to be a longer reflection on her nursing experience.)

I did not have plans for college! Being the oldest of 5 and with no money for college. I planned for and had a job for after high school. The counselor at school met me in the hall 4 weeks before graduation and asked if I had ever thought of being a nurse. The answer, of course, was no since there was no money for Nursing school. She told me about a scholarship by the district Nurses Association that had not been awarded and suggested that I could apply. She told me I needed to make an application to some Schools of Nursing immediately. I applied to 3 schools by the end of week. Two schools notified me their application process was closed. I received notice from GA Baptist School of Nursing that my application was being reviewed but I lacked one more science credit from HS. I had taken Biology and Algebra 1 and 2. But I then took 2 typings, shorthand and Business Math to prepare for a job in Business. The High School Counselor and the Principal decided I could earn a quick credit by doing a General Science Course which I did as a home study with exams and was issued credit by the Principal with a letter and info to the GA Baptist School of Nursing with final review by Ms Ransbotham.

God had a plan. I was admitted to the next class. Can you guess what it was like to take two college chemistry courses without having any Chemistry or Physics in high school? This scholarship and the admission to GBSON was greatly celebrated by myself, my family, and my church. The church bought me a nursing watch as a celebration gift. I was the first person on either side of my family to ever attend college.

My first memory at GBH was walking into a dorm with a bunk bed and one hospital bed and meeting two roommates, then 3 suitemates. We all noted the one small bathroom with a tub for all six to share and then one closet for three persons.

We jumped right into learning our way around the hospital and classrooms and schedules. And meeting faculty and upper classmen. Remember I had no chemistry or physics so I still remember my first Chemistry test and Ms Vogel. I explained to her that this was my first ever Chemistry course, so she spent time explaining to me how to study Chemistry and coached me a few other times. So she was the first of faculty who had a great influence on me.

Now you have to know that we had housemothers and we signed in and out whenever leaving the dorm and we never went out in other than a dress unless it was covered. So we all had long raincoats and often went out in a raincoat in the hot sunshine. (when we had our 50th year reunion someone came in with a raincoat as she had worn a pants suit).

I was so happy to be in this wonderful Christian School. We had vespers on Monday evenings and inspirational speakers and fellowship and great directors of Student Activities and singing. (The next year we started singing after vespers in the central Hospital area). I and many others started our place of worship at the First Baptist Church of Atlanta where there were also many Georgia Tech guys. I met Rod Nave early in my freshman year (it was a date for a football game arranged by a classmates boyfriend). We became engaged in early spring of my Senior year while attending a Baptist Student Union Retreat.

During my senior year I was president of the School's Baptist Student Union. I was also the Historian for the State BSU.

Then Rod and I were in an auto accident during my Senior year while I was home for Thanksgiving from the Psychiatry rotation at Milledgeville. I was in the hospital for a month then home for 2 months, but was able to return to Milledgeville (with the next group and new roommate who was a dear Junior student). I completed the Psych rotation. However, that meant my class was graduated and had black bands removed and I was left to finish my last 3 months of the senior rotation. This was until the end of the year 1962 (near Christmas). Because my dear and special Clinical Instructor (Betty Godfrey) found that I was working too many doubles and required a different plan as she knew I had worn that engagement ring for a long time and was anxious to be finished. She advised that 10 yrs from now it would make any difference if I was married next month or later. I was working and observing the building of Sewell Dorm. This late finish also meant that I missed State Boards and had to wait to take them with the 1963 June Class.

How my career was influenced by my GA Baptist School of Nursing.

My nursing career started in January 1963. I began to work on 4 Tower with Margaret Wise for four months, then went to work for an otolaryngologist as his office and scrub nurse. I was at work in his office when Ms Ramsbothom called to tell me I had passed State Boards and congratulated me that I was now an RN.

I worked with Dr. King from 1963 to 1966 when I went with husband (Dr. Rod Nave) to Wales, Great Britain for his post-doctoral appointment. We lived there for 18 months and I worked at the Caernarvonshire & Anglesey Hospital for most of time there. All head nurses were addressed as Sister. Most folks in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales where we lived had some interaction with American speech but not from the American South. It was a great interaction for this girl from the South USA and the Welch. I learned to sorta understand Welch, which was a difficult language to learn to speak. All Staff and students at the hospital spoke English well as did the doctors (who were called Sirs rather than Doctor). Many interns were from India and were called Doctors. While the staff was bilingual, many of the patients spoke only Welsh. One of my first words of note when starting work at the hospital was to learn I was weighing patients in "stones" rather than pounds. Then many other appropriate words or terminology were learned in Welch.

We returned from Great Britain for Dr. Nave to begin his teaching career at GA State University and for us to start a family.

I returned to work at GBH during my first pregnancy, working 3-11 PRN. PRN meant that I was given my assignment on arrival and worked wherever needed. On one of these days I received patient assignments on a surgical unit and realized one of my patients was Mrs. Coretta Scott King. When I entered the room, Dr. King was sitting in a chair near the door with his legs crossed, reading the newspaper. I can still visualize him laying his paper across his lap and greeting me as I went to her bedside. He seemed to watch and wait for me to finish my time at her bedside. This was late February or early March and I was wearing maternity clothes, being about six months pregnant. As I was leaving the room, we greeted one another again and he asked something like, "When is the baby due, and is this your first one?" He said "Congratulations!"and wished me well.

Soon afterward on April 4th, I was driving to work when I heard on the radio the news that Dr. King had been shot and killed in Memphis. The terrible news was even more shocking as I had so recently interacted with him alive and well. It was very painful for me and my thoughts immediately to others I would see at work. We busied ourselves with the work we had do, but needless to say it was a very somber evening. Several of the employees were allowed to go home because they were so upset and affected by the news. My son who was that first baby to be and he wanted me to write about this when he was Senior in high school. I wrote for him what it was like to meet Dr. King, and I still have on file that information.

Still working and soon after that time I was assigned to work 3 Tower with the first African American Head Nurse. When a Doctor inquired, I could say "you need to talk to the Head Nurse". She had avoided the public cafeteria but we became good friends and she felt comfortable eating with me there, and I could introduce her to others. As an African American she was part of a very small minority in the work force at that time and felt more comfortable not having to eat alone. She and the staff gave me a little baby shower on my last evening of work and then I delivered the next day (three weeks earlier than expected and we did not have a crib yet).

We had two little boys, 3 and 5 years old, when I started doing private duty for two years. I had the help of neighborhood childcare and their Dad and Grandmother. I had opportunity to nurse the President of Sears, Ms Dana Hudson, some Doctors' wives, several Sewells (some will recognize name of Sewell dorm.) I was nursing my last patient when the first intensive care unit opened on 3 North, which meant there was no longer a need for private duty nurses.

During this time, Rod was teaching a course for nursing students including some GBHSON graduates. I decided if he was teaching nurses, he needed to make it appropriate for nursing examples. So Rod and I authored the book, Physics for the Health Sciences. Perhaps some of you here today might have had the course at Ga State.

I returned to work when my youngest started kindergarten. I went to work for Peggy Cooper on 5 Tower, who often made me think I was going to have to do charge. After about 6 months, I was transferred to work with Johnnie Forgay in the Community Services/Discharge Planning Dept. And this is when I was initiated by she and Lib Perry to become involved in working with them to be ready for the next Alumnae Day.

Aboout 2 years later, a Social Worker was hired and we became a part of that department. After Johnnie had retired, I later became the Director of the Discharge Planning Department and then when the Social Worker retired, I became director for Social Workers and Discharge Planning Nurses and then the Utilization Review Department was brought in to make one department. This had become the process in hospitals across the US. During all those years, I studied everything I needed for doing all the jobs and taking exams to be certified including Nursing Home Administration. This was tremendous for communication and getting involved. I knew this when I had become a member of the GA Association for Continuity of Care and later the American Association for Continuity Care ( I served both organizations as President). 2 yrs as Vice President then President of the American Association for Continuity of Care kept me busy along with my work schedule.

I will have to tell you that the year I was elected as vice president of the American Association to become the next President, I said to a college PhD instructor on the committee "I should not be considered since I have only an RN". She looked at me and answered "You have enough initials after your name and a degree from a great Nursing School, so you are well qualified. That was when I was elected to become President of the National Association for Continuity of Care for Nurses and Social Workers for the year 1995.

That was when I was elected to become President of the National Association for Continuity of Care for Nurses and Social Workers for the year 1995.

I retired in 2009 after 42 years of employment in nursing.

Also one of my greatest recent memories was becoming a member of the GBCON Alumnae Board. And getting to know and work with Susan Gunby and the team.

I was also the nurse for my church's Vacation Bible Schools and other children's activities all these years ( until 2 yrs ago.)

Some things of great memories were first time experiences

We had Housemothers, having to sign in and out when leaving dorm, night time check by housemothers for lights out .

Always Proper dress going out the door so raincoats to cover pants and certainly no shorts. (even in hot sunshine).

Us probies working on units and learning how to properly put a pillow case on and to do bed baths for patients ( no tubs or showers in most of rooms meaning bed pans and in some rooms West wing rooms with 9 bed units or 4 in a room. (This was same situation when I arrived in Wales as hospital all 8- 9 beds, private rooms for only pending deaths. )

By JR year - on surgery rotation, being called in middle of night to scrub.

Working night duty and having class at 8 am and staying awake or not staying awake.

Funny things; dances with patients. at Milledgeville. (one day a week a dance).