A college of nursing pin is something cherished by all nurses who earned their undergraduate nursing degree. It’s a keepsake for graduates and something they can wear on their uniform daily or keep in a special place with other mementos.

Earlier this year we learned of a former student, Virginia Stoddard Johnson, who attended the UC College of Nursing from 1943-44 but had to withdraw due to a mild case of Spina Bifida. Mrs. Johnson transferred to UC from Miami University and would have completed her BSN at UC, but the Spina Bifida and wearing a back brace kept her from completing her degree and receiving her pin.

In January 2012, we learned of Mrs. Johnson’s story from her daughter, Lisa Johnson, who reached out via email to ask if there was anything we could do for her mom. Lisa explained that after her dad died in 1988, her mother began volunteering at the hospital where he died. Since then Mrs. Johnson has volunteered over 5,000 hours in the hospital’s ICU. Mrs. Johnson is 90 years old and has no plans to stop before reaching 6,000!

In conversations between Dean Greer Glazer, Sr. Director of Development Brian Hurst and Lisa Johnson, we talked about the best, most meaningful way to honor Mrs. Johnson’s commitment to nursing and her service to the community. 

On November 15, Dean Glazer and Brian Hurst traveled to Houston, Texas and met Lisa Johnson and her mother for an “alumni dinner” where we surprised Mrs. Johnson with our pin. Dean Glazer “pinned” Virginia Stoddard Johnson and made her our newest member of the UC College of Nursing Alumni Association. It was a very special night and we can’t thank Lisa enough for making us aware of Virginia’s story and helping us surprise her with our pin.