Thank you for helping us celebrateour 50th anniversary!
In an overwhelming response to our 50th birthday, more than 450 alumni, friends, faculty and staff attended the Starry Gala Reception at the Adler Planetarium on May 5th, 2005. The evening included a silent auction, a ComedySportz performance, fabulous food, live music and dancing!
“I knew it was going to be fun,” said Kathy Lesinski, Assistant to Dean Shaver. “But I was surprised by how much fun people had. It was a party. Faculty and alumni were dancing and laughing with students. It wasn’t just a lovely event to go to; it was a celebration.”
The following day at the “Blast from the Past” open house, 150 alumni, faculty, and friends returned to the College for a day-long schedule of reflections, discussions, tours, and award presentations. All the living deans – Helen Grace, Mitzi Duxbury, Mi Ja Kim, and our current dean, Joan Shaver, presented inspirational talks about the joys and challenges of building the College of Nursing.
Virginia Ohlson also returned to the College for this important day, which included a luncheon in her honor. “There was a buzz when she walked in the room,” said Harlene Pearlman, who served as an Alumni Board representative on the 50th anniversary planning committee. Barbara Nichols from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools spoke at the honorary luncheon, and scholarships in honor of Virginia Ohlson, Chieko Onoda, and Marguerite Dixon were also awarded.
The afternoon included break-out sessions on current research in the College, and a reception in honor of student life. The Alumni Board presented $1,000 to the College for the Center for Learning Excellence.
Many alumni returned to the College wearing their student uniforms, ranging from scrubs to the more traditional. “Several people who graduated in the 1960s wore their student uniforms,” said Pearlman. “We were amazed they still fit in them!”
