Nurse Reunion

ST. EUGENE – NURSES HOLD REUNION

            The nurses who trained at the former St. Eugene Hospital school of nursing in Cranbrook are making plans to celebrate an annual reunion next year.

            At a recent social gathering of some of the former nursing students it was decided that starting in 1976 the graduates of the school would meet annually in May for a social reunion.

            The recent meeting in Cranbrook at which plans were started brought together 23 nurses for a dinner at the Tudor House restaurant, which is part of the hotel complex now housed in the old hospital.

            The evening which was organized by Nel Hrisook and Lil Gilchrest was attended by former nursing graduates from Kimberley, Cranbrook, Nelson and Wasa.

            The training school for nurses was instituted in 1911 with the first class graduating in 1914.  The nurses residence was erected in 1927 and the last class of 1950 finished the final year of training at St. Pauls Hospital in Vancouver, when the St. Eugene school closed because of financial burdens.

            In the nearly 40 years of operation St. Eugene Training School graduated 209 nurses.

            The last reunion was held in 1963 with more than 100 grads attending.

            Among those attending the recent social evening were Ruth Metcalfe of Nelson, Peg Gordon, Meagan Kavanaugh, Kay Walsh, Margaret Hutchison and Winnifred Fabro all of Kimberley.

            Attending from Cranbrook were Enid Barnhardt, Helen Faulkner, Edna Ferguson, Florence Gilbertson, Lillian Gilchrest, Nel Hrisook, Mary Huxtable, Agnes Jaster, Isabel Kram, Lillian Laurie, Mary Little, Catherine Meeks, Catherine O’Sullivan, Irene Pelton, Wilma Fox, Elizabeth Betts and Constance Neilly.