PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 2024 - Dr. Claire Fagin (1926-2024), former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and one of the first women to lead an Ivy League university, has joined a legacy of accomplished, trailblazing women in nursing who are buried at The Woodlands. A leader in the field of nursing research and education, Dr. Fagin inspired us to look at The Woodlands connection to nursing history, and to share some of the incredible stories of a few permanent residents. Read her full obituary in the New York Times here.

Marie Hidell
(1879-1918), Section F, Lot #804-806

In September 1918, Philadelphia was struck by the influenza pandemic known as the "Spanish flu." At the front lines of the outbreak was Navy Nurse Marie Louise Hidell, who treated afflicted soldiers and sailors at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia. Marie worked fearlessly and tirelessly as the growing number of influenza patients overwhelmed hospital staff. In one night, Marie was personally responsible for admitting 188 patients.

Unfortunately, Marie herself soon contracted the flu. Her condition rapidly declined, and she succumbed to the illness on September 28th. Marie L. Hidell was buried at The Woodlands with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute. You can learn more about Marie Hidell with her 2020 Digital Tour.

Emily Bliss Souder
(1814-1886), Section F, Lot #348-349

Emily Bliss Souder was one of hundreds of women volunteers who assisted in nursing the dying and wounded soldiers and civilians during the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg. Her experiences are preserved in “Leaves from the Battlefield of Gettysburg: a Series of Letters from a Field Hospital and National Poems,” published in 1864. The collection is not only a beautiful capsule of a talented woman’s reflections on the Battle of Gettysburg but also lends invaluable insight into the state of nursing in America. Emily Bliss Souder was also featured in a 2021 Blog Post found here.

Karen Buhler-Wilkerson
(1944-2010), Section C, Lot #196

Karen Buhler-Wilkerson was a prominent nursing professor, historian, author, and co‐creator of an innovative care program for poor and frail elderly. She is best known for her award-winning book, “No Place Like Home: A History of Nursing and Home Care in the United States” detailing the role of Medicare in the delivery of home care services. Dr. Wilkerson directed the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, and mentored the scholarly careers of many students and colleagues. In keeping with her views and values about care at home, Dr. Buhler‐Wilkerson was crucial to the founding of Penn Nursing's LIFE program, Living Independently For Elders, which provides daily care for 500 poor and frail residents of West Philadelphia who otherwise would be placed in nursing homes.

Barbara Bates
(1928-2002) Section N, Lot #336
Dr. Barbara Bates developed and wrote a guide to taking a patient’s history that has become the standard text for medical students. Her book, “Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking,” has been published in several revised editions.

After recognizing that the standard text to teach physical examination was not user-friendly, Bates, an avid birder, developed a hand-drawn guide inspired by ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson's popular guides to American birds. Bates received recognition for her work in both medicine and history, receiving the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education, and the American Association for the History of Nursing Lavinia L. Dock Award for Historical Scholarship and Research.

Lillian Clayton
(1874-1930), Section N, Lot #360

(Sarah) Lillian Clayton was an 1896 graduate of the Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH) Training School of Nursing. She was a crusader for using staff nurses instead of students, allowing students a pre-clinical period in their education. A national leader in nursing, she served as president of the National League for Nursing Education from 1917-20, was on the Board of Directors of the American Journal of Nursing, served on the National Council of National Defense, Red Cross Nursing Service, and the Pennsylvania Board of Nurse Examiners. She also served as chair of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Committee on Ethical Standards, which wrote a Code of Ethics for Nurses. Finally, she was president of ANA for two terms though she died just before her term was completed in May 1930.

Alice Fisher
(1839-1888), Section N, Lot #360

Alice Fisher founded the School of Nursing at the Blockley Almshouse and Hospital in 1884. As a young woman, she studied at the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas Hospital in England. Once in Philadelphia, she undertook the reform of Blockley Almshouse, which later became Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH), and is now part of the University of Pennsylvania medical campus. Fisher established a School of Nursing there to combat the unhealthy, disorderly conditions of the hospital. In the four short years that Fisher worked at Blockley, she transformed the hospital and established a new generation of nurses to care for Philadelphia's citizens.

The Deaconesses
Section N, Lot #371-375

A small group of dedicated women traveled from Germany to Philadelphia in 1884 and became the first nursing deaconesses in the United States. German Hospital began as a United States government treatment center during the Civil War and later was renamed to Lankenau Hospital in 1917. In 1884, upon the request from the Hospital, seven Lutheran deaconesses were asked to come to America to work. With the help of these seven pioneers from Germany, they created the strong foundation of health care that Lankenau Hospital provides today.

You can visit these incredible nurses at The Woodlands with this map.