President's Message

Annual Meeting, September 30, 2006

The 114th Annual Business Meeting of The Johns Hopkins Nurses’ Alumni Association (JHNAA) was called to order on September 30, 2006, at 10:35 a.m. in the Tremont Grand by Deborah Baker ’92, President.

Minutes

Motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the 2005 Annual Business Meeting as published in Vigilando in Fall 2005. Action: Motion was approved unanimously. Roll Call: A total of 95 JHNAA alumni, eight CHH alumni and two honorary alumni were present. The Class of 1956, celebrating their 50th reunion, had 26 classmates attend.

The names listed below are the deceased alumni from the past year read by Deb Corteggiano Kennedy, CHH ’73 for Church Home and Leslie Wirth Kemp ’95 for Johns Hopkins.

President’s Report: Deb Baker

Over the past year, the alumni board has focused on building our membership by getting to know our students and graduates better and by promoting our excellent book—Our Shared Legacy.

We have continued to purchase the University Pin and provide a ceremony and reception to get to know these future alums. We invite all of you who have supported the association with your dues and interest to join us when we offer the pinning ceremonies and sponsor student activities and events. We have held happy hours and networking lunches that have been modestly attended but have yielded participants to serve on membership committees.

The lack of recent graduate numbers in our membership is shared by other University nursing associations. I have been in touch with Penn and Delaware in attempt to develop a multi-institutional task force and share ideas for strategy. As for many of our students, nursing is a second degree and their allegiance may be to their first program.

Because the publication and marketing of Our Shared Legacy has been costly, as a board we have decided to cut back on hosting events outside of the school and nurture the relationships with our current students. What we know is that most new grads are not settled or ready to give back to a program until at least five years out. However, by forming focus groups and spending more time with our current students, our hope is that when they are ready they will remember this connection. The board invites each of you to get in touch with one or two grads in your area and give them a call or send an email. There is no substitute for personal contact and connection. That is how I came onto the board—someone asked. Please visit our website and keep in touch—with us and each other.

Treasurer’s Report: Sue Culp ’41

The Association is financially sound. The major expense this year was the publication of the new history, Our Shared Legacy. Book expenses this year totaled $108,318. The Association will not realize any profits from the book until next year.

Income was greater than expenses: Income $191,414; Expenses $178,543.

The investments are being reviewed but continue on a positive track.

Committee Reports

Archives: Phoebe Letocha

Thank you for your ongoing support to catalog and accession materials of Hopkins and Church Home nursing history. Researchers from JH and around the world made use of the collection this year.

Publication of Our Shared Legacy should increase the use of the historical collection. Over 250 pictures from archives were used in the book.

An exhibit at Enoch Pratt Library on the history of Johns Hopkins nursing was on display for four months.

Materials have been received from the Dean’s office, the Alumni office and from Church Home alumni. Dean Sue Donaldson’s papers are currently being accessioned.

The Archives offices are now located on the Hopkins Mt. Washington campus.

Betty Scher volunteers at the archives and is indexing JH alumni magazine.

We have had two excellent graduate students who have processed 161 personal paper collections of Hopkins nurses.

Priority for coming year is to make the personal paper collections more accessible for researchers.

The CHH collection has been processed. Work is still needed on the description and cataloguing of photographs, fine arts and artifacts.

Nominating: Sue Wright

Before presenting the slate, Sue said she had seen Mary Farr Heeg ’41 and Mary sends her regards to everyone.

The slate of officers for 2006 is: Deborah Baker ’92, MSN ’97 —President
Christina Cafeo MSN ’97—Secretary
Leslie Kemp ’95—Elected Director

Nominating Committee: Phyllis Naumann, MSN ’94
Amy Margolis Hardin ’90
Sandra Stine Angell ’69

Motion unopposed to accept the slate as presented.

Membership: Debbie Baker for Beth Cooper

The Pinning ceremonies for the Traditional and Accelerated Classes were very successful. The Association purchased the SON pins for the second year. The committee is striving to make this a more meaningful celebration.

The traditional Class of 2006 presented their class gift of $500 to the Association for the purpose of continuing the Student Project Funding to students.

There have been several events this year for both alumni and students—Happy Hour in Boston, Afternoon Tea in Ellicott City, Book Launch; Networking lunches for students.

Goals for coming year are to increase membership of recent graduates and to have more alumni pay dues. We would also like to add new members to this committee.

Homecoming: Lois Hoffer

The Association hosted 165 alumni and students at the cocktail party and 155 alumni at the annual meeting and luncheon. Homecoming will be September 28 – 29, 2007 (change from the announcement).

Editorial: Leslie Kemp

Alumni feedback for the magazine has been very positive. Story ideas from alumni committee members are solicited and utilized. Please send your ideas to the Alumni office.

Education: Debbie Baker for Amy Hardin

The Association supported six graduate students for a total of $15,000 this year.

Debbie thanked Amy for more than 10 years of service to the Association.

History Book: Sue Appling

The journey of ‘the book’ has finally come to fruition. The total cost comes to approximately $293,000. About 100 people attended the “Book Launch” in June at the Enoch Pratt Library. Sue thanked editor, Mame Warren, authors Fran Keen and Linda Sabin, Phoebe Letocha and the staff of the archives and the Book Committee. Be sure to get a copy of this beautiful book.

Church Home: Deborah Corteggiano Kennedy, CHH ’73

This is only the second time I have had the privilege to address this group as a Consortium Member of your Association. I know I speak for all Church Home Alumni when I say thank you.

Thank you for allowing us to stay connected; thank you for accepting all the information I submit to the magazine that you publish as “Church Notes”; thank you for preserving our archives; and thank you for keeping our nostalgic juices flowing. It means more than I can say.

I am thrilled to have members here today from the Class of 1931 to the last Class of 1976. I invite you all to join me later after lunch as we recognize three of our alumnae celebrating collectively 225 years of Nursing. I promise that it will be very special.

Old Business

No old business

New Business

Debbie presented the nomination for Honorary membership of Mame Warren, editor of Our Shared Legacy, for a vote. A copy of the nomination letter from Betty Scher ’50 was distributed to those attending. Betty stated in her letter that Mame showed an enormous pride in the school and its alumni as well as her respect and caring for Hopkins nurses as reasons for the nomination. Motion was made and accepted unopposed to make Mame Warren an honorary member of JHNAA.

Announcement of Class gifts

The overall total of reunion gifts this year is $306,282. The three highest gifts were:

• 1946:  $32,010
• 1951:  $65,389
• 1956:  $183,558 in honor of the 50th reunion. They will have a classroom named in their honor in the new addition of the SON Pinkard Building.

Other reunion classes have contributed significantly including the reunion classes of 1941, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001.

Meeting adjourned at 11:30 am.

Respectfully submitted by JoAnn Coleman, Vice President