Helen Turner Watson
Watson c. 1976
Born
Helen Fredericka Turner

(1917-07-03)July 3, 1917
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedSeptember 26, 1992(1992-09-26) (aged 75)
South Windham, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Nurse, educator
Employers

Helen Fredericka Turner Watson (July 3, 1917 – September 26, 1992)[1] was an American nurse and educator. She was one of the first African American women to receive a commission in the United States Navy, serving as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps from 1945 to 1946. An alumna of the University of Connecticut and Yale University, she became an associate professor at the UConn School of Nursing.

Early life and education

Watson was born in Augusta, Georgia, United States, on July 3, 1917, one of five children of Frederick D. and Helen Gilbert Turner. She grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, where she graduated from Weaver High School in 1935.[2] She attended the Lincoln School for Nurses in New York City and graduated as a registered nurse in 1939.[1]

Watson returned to Hartford to teach in the American Red Cross home nursing and first aid program from October 1939 to January 1941. She also worked as a temporary staff nurse for the Hartford Visiting Nurse Association until October 1941, when she moved to Richmond, Virginia, to study public health nursing on a federal scholarship at the Medical College of Virginia. For two years, she worked as nursing supervisor and community health educator for the Bergen County Tuberculosis and Health Association in Hackensack, New Jersey, while pursuing nursing coursework and fieldwork at Teachers College, Columbia University.[1][3][4]

Military service

Watson enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve in New York City on April 20, 1945. She received her officer's commission as ensign in the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps on June 13. She was the second of four African American women to become commissioned officers in the Navy Reserve during World War II.[3][5] Her newly minted fellow ensigns included Phyllis Mae Dailey of New York City (the first African American woman in history to receive a Navy commission, on March 8), Edith Mazie DeVoe of Washington, D.C., and Eula Loucille Stimley of Centreville, Mississippi. Watson left the Navy in 1946 after the war ended.[6][5]

Professional career

On leaving the Navy, Watson earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Connecticut in 1947 and a Master of Science from Yale University in 1952.[7] Her bachelor's degree focused on public health nursing, while her master's degree focused on mental health nursing in relation to the growth and development of children. Watson worked as a public health and school nursing consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education from 1948 to 1965.[8] On September 16, 1965,[9] she joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, where she taught community and child health for eighteen years and achieved tenure at the rank of associate professor.[1][10] Retiring on June 1, 1983,[9] she received an honorary appointment as Associate Professor Emerita courtesy of the university's board of trustees in 1984.[1]

In addition to her academic duties, Watson served on several statewide commissions. Governor John N. Dempsey appointed her to serve on the State of Connecticut's Committee on the Status of Women and the State Health Coordinating Council. Governor Ella Grasso appointed her to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Commission on Hospitals and Healthcare (on which she was the sole registered nurse), and Blue Ribbon Committee to Investigate the Nursing Home Industry in Connecticut. Watson also served on the board of directors of the Women's League of Hartford for more than ten years, including five years as president.[1] She was a member of the Connecticut State Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Lambda Theta, Royal Society of Health, National Organization for Public Health Nursing, American Nurses Association, and American School Health Association.[4]

A former editorial board member of the Journal of School Health, Watson published widely in professional journals.[11][12] She received the Award for Service to School Children of Connecticut (1961), the National Distinguished Service Award (1962), the Citation for Outstanding Achievement (1963), and the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Nursing Education (1973) from various state and national professional associations.[13]

Personal life

Helen married Harold B. Watson, with whom she had a daughter, Jeannette W. Weldon, a son Norman S. Watson and four stepsons: Harold, Richard, Everett, and Kenneth Watson.[1] Her name was given as Helen Turner Rogers on the University of Connecticut's commencement program of June 1947.[14]

Watson died on September 26, 1992, at the age of 75.[1] Funeral services were held at the First Congregational Church of Willimantic.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Obituary of Helen Fredericka Turner Watson". Hartford Courant. September 28, 1992. p. 20. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ↑ The Portal (Class of 1935B Yearbook). Hartford, CT: Thomas Snell Weaver High School. 1935. p. 71. hdl:11134/50002:14326. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "To Become Ensign". Hartford Courant. June 7, 1945. p. 16. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Young, Gene C. (1976). They Did It . . . So Can You. Storrs: The University of Connecticut. pp. 128–129. hdl:11134/20004:20201441. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Carnegie, Mary Elizabeth (1991). The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing, 1854–1990. New York: National League for Nursing Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-88737-534-7.
  6. ↑ Sobocinski, Andre (February 24, 2014). "A Brief History of African-American Navy Nurses". United States Navy. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Alums Cited on Day of Pride: Pickens, Watson, Perez Are Honored". The Connecticut Alumnus. 52 (2): 1. October 1978. hdl:11134/20004:20098012.
  8. ↑ "Graduates of Advanced Programs in Mental Health Nursing and Appointments Following Graduation". Yale University School of Nursing Alumnae Bulletin. 6 (10): 3. Fall 1953. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Emeritus Members of the Staff". The University of Connecticut Bulletin 1988-1989. 83 (3): 194. March 1988. hdl:11134/20002:859931401 – via Connecticut Digital Archive.
  10. ↑ "Helen T. Watson '53 Finds Work with Commission Challenging". Yale Nurse. Yale University School of Nursing Alumnae Association: 18–19. Fall 1976. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ Watson, Helen T. (March 1, 1966). "The Role of the School Nurse in the Support of Children with Certain Cardiovascular Disorders". Nursing Clinics of North America. 1 (1): 31–38. doi:10.1016/S0029-6465(22)03245-5. ISSN 0029-6465. PMID 5175415. S2CID 45678090.
  12. ↑ Watson, Helen T. (September 1955). "Some Effects of Our Schools on the Mental Health of Children". Journal of School Health. 25 (7): 179–186. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1955.tb07552.x.
  13. ↑ "Talented Local Professors". Contac. Afro-American Cultural Center, University of Connecticut. 1 (1): 7. November 1978. hdl:11134/20002:860235998.
  14. ↑ Sixty-fourth Annual Commencement of the University of Connecticut. Storrs. June 8, 1947. p. 8. hdl:11134/20004:20170123. Retrieved February 15, 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ↑ "Death Notices: Watson". Hartford Courant. September 29, 1992. p. 123. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
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