Descriptive Summary
Repository: University of Virginia School of Nursing, Eleanor Crowder Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry
Title: Mary Louise Habel Papers
Physical Characteristics: 1.0 linear feet; 2 boxes
Language: English
Collector: Mary Louise Habel, donated by Sylvia Rinker
Biographical Information
Mary Louise Habel (1906-2000) was a 1930 graduate of the Stuart Circle Hospital School of Nursing in Richmond, Virginia, and in 1936 she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education from the University of Virginia. Later in her career, in 1954, she obtained a Master of Education from the College of William and Mary.
Among the numerous positions she held over forty-one years in the profession, the majority of her hospital appointments included directorships of nursing education, in addition to her executive responsibilities as chief of nursing staff. She served a five-year appointment as a member of the Virginia State Board of Nursing Examiners in the 1940s, and as well ascended to the presidency of the State Board of Nursing. She also held a number of offices in the Virginia League of Nursing. Habel became a registered social worker in 1963, and served in this capacity and as coordinator of nursing for the Red Cross in Lynchburg, Virginia. She retired in 1972.
Scope and Content
The Habel Papers trace the career of this vocal advocate for nursing education and public health. An early promoter of collegiate-level training for nurses, Ms. Habel also stressed the value of nursing care beyond the walls of the hospital, along with a holistic approach to the patient and public health. Much of the correspondence in the collection dates from her retirement years, when she took the initiative to address public figures with critiques and advice about the resolution of social problems. Habel’s strong religious faith provided a powerful motivation to her life’s work, and inspired a philosophy of service to others that underscored all of her activities and relationships. Her friendship with Dr. Silvia Rinker, one of the founders of the Bjoring Center, and a fellow church member, led to the collection and preservation of her papers.
Series Description
The Habel Papers have been sorted into alphabetical subject headings. Items within each subject category are ordered chronologically. Photographs and artifacts occupy the final two folders.
Contents List
MARY LOUISE HABEL: BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTS
1943-1996, n.d. Box-Folder: 01-001
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS: “A HIGH-TYPE OF WOMAN: THE NURSING SUPERINTENDENT OF THE 1940s” BY SILVIA D. RINKER
1989/04/26 Box-Folder: 01-002
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS: MEMORIAL SERVICE AND TRIBUTE TEXT
2000/06/03 Box-Folder: 01-003
CERTIFICATES
1969-1998, n.d. Box-Folder: 01-004
CHURCH BULLETINS
1943, 1953, 1984, 1998 Box-Folder: 01-005
CORRESPONDENCE
1944-49 Box-Folder: 01-006
CORRESPONDENCE
1963-69 Box-Folder: 01-007
CORRESPONDENCE
1970-79 Box-Folder: 01-008
CORRESPONDENCE
1980-89 Box-Folder: 01-009
CORRESPONDENCE
1990-99 Box-Folder: 01-010
CORRESPONDENCE WITH LYNCHBURG COLLEGE STUDENTS
1998-2000, n.d. Box-Folder: 01-011
CORRESPONDENCE
n.d. Box-Folder: 01-012
DIRECTORY: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
1967-68 Box-Folder: 01-013
NOTES, INCLUDING MATERIALS FOR “TENTACLES” NURSING GROUP AT VALLEY VIEW RETIREMENT HOME
1990, n.d. Box-Folder: 01-014
NURSING PRACTICE ITEMS
1940s, n.d. Box-Folder: 01-015
POETRY (MANY POEMS BY HABEL)
1962-1997 Box-Folder: 02-001
POETRY (POEMS BY HABEL’S MOTHER AND BROTHER)
1953-1993 Box-Folder: 02-002
PRAYERS
1974-1982, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-003
PUBLICATIONS: MARY LOUISE HABEL: “JUST ME” [POEMS]; “PRIVATE DUTY NURSING ‘A LA ME, EXPERIENCES INN HOME NURSING, 1931-1950.”
- 1984, 1993, 2000, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-004
QUOTATIONS AND SIMILAR TEXTS/DOCUMENTS: INSPIRATIONAL OR HUMOROUS
1943-1993, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-005
SCHOOL OF NURSING MATERIALS: STUART CIRCLE HOSPITAL, RICHMOND, VA; LAKEVIEW HOSPITAL, SUFFOLK, VA; RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL, NEWPORT NEWS, VA; LYNCHBURG GENERAL HOSPITAL
1938-1955, 1968, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-006
SOCIAL WORK: MENTAL ILLNESS AND HOMELESSNESS
1986 Box-Folder: 02-007
SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE CONFERENCE AND NOTES
1965 Box-Folder: 02-008
STUDENT PAPERS, INCLUDING HISTORY OF NURSING EXAMINATION, AND “THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEGRO NURSING EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA”
1927, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-009
STUDENT PAPERS: MASTER’S THESIS: “A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF NURSING CARE AT RIVERSIDE HOSPITAL, NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA,” BY MARY LOUISE HABEL AND MARTHA BEULAH MARSH
1954/08 Box-Folder: 02-010
VIRGINIA BAPTIST HOSPITAL: DOCUMENTS BY HABEL
1941-1963, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-011
VIRGINIA BAPTIST HOSPITAL: MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS
1923-1982, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-012
VIRGINIA NURSE RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE: DOCUMENTS BY HABEL
1947, n.d. Box-Folder: 02-013
PHOTOGRAPHS
1931-1996 Box-Folder: 02-014
ARTIFACTS: NURSING PINS, RED CROSS PINS, INCLUDING A BOARD WITH IMAGE OF HABEL AND FOUR RED CROSS SERVICE PINS
n.d. Box-Folder: 02-015
Notes
Access
No Restrictions.
Use Restrictions
No Restrictions.
Preferred Citation
University of Virginia School of Nursing, Eleanor Crowder Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry, Mary Louise Habel Papers
Processing Information
Processed by Henry K. Sharp in 2018.