Pamphlets, photographs, news clippings, and a student yearbook documenting Robinson's career as a student and nurse at Wilmington Delaware's Memorial Hospital.
Scope and Contents:
The materials mainly concern the nursing program at Memorial Hospital and Miss Whitaker's years as a student there between 1955 and 1958. Included are residence policies, student government regulations, pamphlets about the "Guild of St. Barnabas for Nurses," and other materials related to the school's history. There are photoprints of Miss Whitaker and her classmates as a probationer and at her graduation ceremony, along with a 1959 Yearbook from the school. Of particular interest are two original drawings of Miss Whitaker done by a patient while an affiliate student at the Philadelphia General Hospital in 1957. Also included is an autobiographical narrative prepared by Mrs. Robinson in 1991. Lastly, the collection includes photocopies of newsclippings about the 1985 demolition of Memorial Hospital.
Arrangement:
Collection arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
During her summer holidays while in high school, Mary Ann Whitaker worked at Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, as a nurse's aid. This cemented her long‑standing desire to become a nurse and she entered Memorial Hospital's school of nursing on September 6, 1955. In 1956, she earned her cap and bib after completing her probationary period. She graduated in 1958 and in October of that successfully passed the Delaware State professional licensing examination to become a Registered Nurse. Soon afterwards, she married and became Mary Ann Robinson. She has worked in hospitals in Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia in obstetrics, critical care units and infection control. As of 1991, she was employed at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 1985, the 80 year old Memorial Hospital in Wilmington was closed and the building demolished to prepare the site for a twin high‑rise condominium.
Separated Materials:
Whitaker's student nurse's uniform is in the Division of Medicine and Science.
Provenance:
Mary Ann Robinson (nee Whitaker) donated this collection in December 1991.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
