Young People Find a Career of Service
The graduates of Hackley Hospital School of Nursing left with much more than a diploma.
They received the lifelong gifts of education and on-the-job experience; high expectations for excellence; and compassion for their patients.
They were a closely knit group who, years later, would revel in the happy memories of dormitory roller derbies, water fights and talent shows amid the academic rigors.
And, regardless of what path they chose to follow, they have all given back in amazing ways.
"The way we were educated was to treat the whole person," said Louanne Utzinger, a 1969 nursing school graduate and Early On coordinator for the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. "We couldn't give any performance less than our best.
"We were expected to give our best at all times."
Lynn Brock, a 1975 graduate and nurse manager at Hackley Hospital, credits the three-year program with teaching students to interact with patients.
"It was a wonderful program," she said. "You learn who you are here for."
Charles H. Hackley made a provision for nurse's training in his now-famous letter of intent to build a hospital in 1902. The Hackley Hospital Training School for Nurses opened Feb. 1, 1905 -- an integral part of the hospital, offering practical experience in the medical, surgical, obstetrical and gynecological wards, as well as experience in visiting nursing under the supervision of the graduate visiting nurse. The school was modeled after the New York City Training School.
On April 12, 1906, the hospital trustees bought the residence at 255 Peck for use as a nurses' home, at a cost of $8,500. Two nurses, Anna Ewing and Maude Erb, were the first to graduate from the school Sept. 10, 1908. Linda Richards, the first graduate nurse in the United States, gave the "Address to Graduates" during the women's capping ceremony.
In July 1918, a new nurses' home was opened on the west side of the hospital. In 1930, a third story was added, and in 1944, an L-shaped addition, costing $91,439, was built.
Over the years, the nursing school evolved with society. In the decades preceding the 1940s, only single women were admitted. Early criteria for admission required that applicants be at least 20 years old and not more than 35, and "of average height and good physique." They had to demonstrate they had acquired a thorough English education and the academic ability to undertake the rigorous courses at the Hackley school.
Up until 1970, nursing students had to leave the program if they were wed.
In 1949, a rating placed the Hackley Hospital School of Nursing in the top 25 percent of nursing schools in the United States.
In the 1950s, the school began to accept men, and in 1957, John Garton Nikkari became the first male graduate. Men comprised about 10 percent of each class from 1958 until the school closed in 1982 and the program moved to Muskegon Community College.
"There were two male nurses in my class," Utzinger said. "They couldn't live in the dorm; they had to live off campus."
Living in the dormitory was a wonderful experience, according to Utzinger.
"Making us live there made all the difference," Utzinger said. "The ages of 17 and 18 are the last stages of teen rebellion before entering the wisdom of adulthood.
"Our housemothers were wonderful and very caring. They were like our moms away from home, and they loved each and every one of us."
Utzinger's scrapbook is filled with memories of her years at Hackley. As she recalled life at nursing school in the late 1960s, she pointed to a picture of herself dressed as a flower. During this decade, the nation saw frequent war protests and a push for more freedom among college students. At Hackley, it was a world of 9- or 10 p.m. curfews, with one 1 a.m. weekend a month. The students were not allowed to leave their floors after certain hours, but would sneak out to use the vending machines, according to Utzinger.
Breaking the rules involved keeping fish although no pets were allowed.
"We were so happy to be there," Utzinger said.
Brock, who graduated in the mid-70s, recalled roller skating derbies in the dorm hallways and water fights.
"We had a great time," she said, adding that the nursing students often would sit in the lounge and quiz each other on the material. The year-round course of study was intense and included subjects such as anatomy, biology and physics.
Whatever decade they attended the school, the nursing students shared similar experiences.
"We made lifetime friends in our class," said Nel Luhman, a 1950 Hackley graduate.
Luhman's grandmother was a midwife, and her mother wanted to be a nurse but opted for the challenging task of raising five children.
"I feel like I was a born nurse; it is the thing that I was made for, " Luhman said.
She worked as an obstetrics nurse from 1951 to 1991. Luhman completed post graduate work in 1953 at Women's Hospital in Detroit and returned to Hackley, working part-time after getting married in 1955 and having her first child in 1957. She also taught student nurses in the obstetrics unit.
After her retirement in 1988, she continued to fill in when needed.
A class-of-1936 graduate, Irene Baker was influenced by a neighbor to become a nurse.
"I was a young girl and my neighbor's daughter came home with her hat on and her white uniform," she recalled. "I knew that's what I wanted to be.
"I've never been sorry."
Baker's love of nursing was shared by her son, Thomas D. Baker, who also graduated from Hackley, "at a time when boys didn't go through nurse's training."
Darlene Smith, a 1960 graduate, serves as treasurer of the nurses alumni association, which has a reunion in Muskegon every two years. She now volunteers in the hospital gift shop after working as a surgical nurse at Hackley.
"I really missed the hospital," she said of her decision to volunteer. "I enjoy it -- I like to keep up with everybody here that I still know."
The "thorough training of nurses" dictated by Charles H. Hackley in 1902 has evolved from emptying bedpans to computer documentation of patient information. Nursing students now train for such specialties as cardiac and neo-natal care, along with surgery, psychology and pediatrics. And, while patient care is first and foremost, today's nurses have a wide range of responsibilities, including keeping up on the latest advances in technology.
"We stress staff development and orientation, so we can be on the cutting edge," said Brock, who has worked as a registered nurse at Hackley since her 1975 graduation. She was a nurses' aide from 1973 to 1975.
"If you can't be a part of change, you're part of history.
"This hospital supports education and offers tuition reimbursement. It's a wonderful benefit."
Among Brock's numerous responsibilities as nurse manager are overseeing committees such as nursing policies and procedures, wound care and documentation -- all of which address patient safety issues.
"We have superb nurses at Hackley," said Dr. I. Justin Kleaveland, medical director. "This hospital couldn't exist without the nurses."
Reprinted with permission from the Muskegon Chronicle
