Ask anyone who is anyone in the nursing world who Joan Lynaugh is and you are sure to get a response of sheer delight.
Students and colleagues alike say Lynaugh is one of those rare people who profoundly inspires every person she comes into contact with -- and that is one of the reasons why she has been named a 2005 Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.
Lynaugh, a Nursing professor emerita, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital School of Nursing in Rochester, N.Y., in 1956, and since then has risen to pre-eminence in the field through years of clinical practice, teaching and research.
"She is a wonderful mentor -- a wise and thoughtful leader in the School of Nursing," said Neville Strumpf, one of Lynaugh's fellow professors.
Jean Whelan, another Nursing professor, has known Lynaugh since 1985, when the senior professor interviewed her for entry into the doctoral program. The two have remained close friends ever since.
"She is the epitome of the resourceful and responsible nurse," Whelan said. "She is just a warm, fun person with a great sense of humor."
Lynaugh, a tiny 70-year-old woman who friends say has an enormous heart, said there were several factors that went into her decision to enter the profession -- including having two aunts who were nurses.
"I was interested in biology and anatomy, I was interested in the sciences," she said. "I thought it would be gratifying, a worthwhile way to spend my time."
Lynaugh attended a nursing school attached to a hospital, which was a more inexpensive way to get started in nursing and particularly popular in the 1950s. In 1961, she completed a bachelor's degree in nursing, and in 1968 she earned a master's degree, both from the University of Rochester, where upon graduating she joined the faculty.
Strumpf said that it was Lynaugh's work at Rochester, and subsequent work at Penn redesigning nursing curricula to better prepare nurse practitioners for the demands of the occupation, that has garnered Lynaugh accolades among nursing educators.
After years of experience working as a clinical nurse and teaching at the university level, Lynaugh returned to school in 1975 at the age of 40 to complete a Ph.D. in American studies at the University of Kansas.
"I loved my years at Kansas -- it was an intellectual feast -- and completely changed my career trajectory," Lynaugh said.
"And then coming to Penn made it possible to combine my clinical expertise with my scholarly interests, so it turned out very well."
Armed with an extensive background in nursing and history, Lynaugh was instrumental in the development of historical research in nursing at Penn. In 1985 she co-founded the school's Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, which promotes knowledge, scholarship and research on nursing history and health care.
Lynaugh retired from teaching in 1996, but she remains a strong presence in nursing. She is currently director emerita of the Bates Center and vice chairwoman of the Board of the Visiting Nurse Society of Philadelphia.
She also continues to conduct research and aids nursing doctoral students with their research projects, and she has no plans of slowing down in the near future.
"As long as it's interesting and I'm able, I'm going to take advantage of what the University has to offer," she said. "The only difficulty I see is finding a place to park."
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