UTA Libraries Celebrates Opening of ‘A Tribute to Nurses’ Exhibit

The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries welcomed the community to celebrate the opening of “A Tribute to Nurses” in Special Collections in a special reception with the College of Nursing and Health Innovation on Mar. 3.

This exhibit focuses on major themes such as developments in the nursing profession; the training of nurses; public service during wartime; and rites of passage such as graduation, capping, and pinning ceremonies, and is dedicated to all the nurses who have been serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This exhibit is the culmination of years of work and represents the Libraries ongoing commitment to telling the stories of our Maverick community,” said Rebecca Bichel, dean of UTA Libraries. “We are proud to collaborate with our partners in CONHI to bring these important materials to the forefront and celebrate the legacy of nursing at UTA and in Tarrant County.”

The reception was opened with remarks from Associate University Librarian Gretchen Trkay and Dr. Elizabeth Merwin (RN, FAAN), Dean of CONHI.

“UTA Libraries has done something truly special with their newest exhibit ‘A Tribute to Nurses: UTA and Beyond,’” Merwin said. “We are honored that they are commemorating our College’s rich history. I encourage students to visit their Special Collections and travel back in time to explore our longstanding nursing program through this unique lens.

“It was a pleasure to be at the opening of the exhibit—I hope that our students and alumni will find the time to stop by and learn about all of those who laid the path before them.”

Through more than 130 years of education and 50 years at UTA, this nursing program has strengthened its community through the development of its nurse professionals. CONHI traces its roots back to the John Sealy Hospital Training School for Nurses in Galveston. It was established in 1890 and later became the University of Texas System School of Nursing.

In 1972, a previously existing nursing program in Fort Worth became affiliated with the UT System, which ultimately moved to UTA in 1977 to become what is now CONHI.

Clinical faculty member, Christine Roberts (MSN, RN, PCCN), was a major contributor to the exhibit, loaning her collection of nursing artifacts including an Army-issued can of water from the 1950s and her student-era scrubs.

Roberts was blown away when she saw her possessions on display in Special Collections.

“In your mind’s eye, you have a vision of what it will be, but this has just surpassed that for me,” Roberts said. “When Michael [Barera] first brought me in here and I saw all my things in the cases I thought, ‘oh my gosh, it’s like a museum!’”

Roberts also sees the significance of “A Tribute to Nurses,” especially in the time of COVID-19.

“You don’t see a lot of ‘history of nursing’ exhibits, though hopefully that will change with COVID and the ‘years of the nurse,’” Roberts said. “I hope [with this exhibit] our students see how far we’ve come—not just at UTA but as a profession. They should be very proud.”

The exhibit was curated by University and Labor Archivist Michael Barera, who also spoke at the reception, and former Nursing librarians Laura Haygood and Raeanna Jeffers. Originally planned for 2020 to coincide with the World Health Organization’s “Year of the Nurse,” the exhibit was adapted to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of CONHI in 2022.

"Starting in fall 2019, Rae, Laura, and I worked hard to select photographs, documents, and physical artifacts for an exhibit that tells the history of the nursing program here at UTA and in Tarrant County more broadly,” Barera said. “We hope that this exhibit allows our nursing students and alumni to better appreciate the rich history of their profession and see themselves in this historical trajectory.

“We also hope that the exhibit engages and informs a general audience that, like me before starting work on this exhibit, does not have extensive knowledge about nursing or its history."

“A Tribute to Nurses” is now open on the sixth floor of Central Library and can be viewed Tuesday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM through Sept. 15.