Hill's Side

Just as this issue of Johns Hopkins Nursing was about to be “put to bed” and sent to the printer, we received the sad news that Anne (“Nan”) M. Pinkard, long-time friend and benefactor of the School of Nursing, died on Saturday, March 3, at the age of 83. Nan was a trustee of the university for nearly 20 years and had held the office of president of the Johns Hopkins Women’s Board.

At the family reception and the funeral, and through media coverage of her life and accomplishments, many of us had the opportunity to share our memories. I told The Baltimore Sun:

“Mrs. Pinkard was an extraordinary woman who had a marvelous moral compass. She knew what mattered, and she wanted others to know what she thought mattered. She thought it was important that Hopkins had a nursing school that was a credible division of the university and with its own home. She pressed the university’s board of trustees and several presidents unrelentingly…”

William R. Brody, president of Johns Hopkins University, shared his recollections of Nan in a university-wide e-mail and noted:

“As president of the France-Merrick Foundation, she made an indelible mark on our Baltimore community, supporting important initiatives in community development, health and social services, civic and cultural life, education, and historic preservation.

“It was no surprise that the trustees felt so strongly about Nan that they voted in 1997 to name the School of Nursing’s new headquarters building in her honor. It was, likewise, no surprise at all that this kind, selfless, unassuming leader pronounced herself in awe at the prospect of being associated with everyone who would study and work in that building.”

I concur with Bill that Baltimore has lost one of its most treasured citizens—and Johns Hopkins has lost one of its greatest friends. The School of Nursing is enormously proud to be a part of her legacy.

Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN ’64, FAAN
Dean and Professor