North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurses Association Records Donated to the Medical Center Archives

The Medical Center Archives is happy to announce the donation of the North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurses Association (NCLPNA) Records by Mrs. Jessie Parker Smith, a member of the 1946 inaugural graduation class of the Durham School of Practical Nursing, as well as one of the cohorts of the “Trailblazers”, the first African American nurses hired by Duke. Mrs. Smith, an LPN, remained at nurse at Duke for over 40 years.

Articles of Incorporation 9/20/1946 Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Members of North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurses Association, Inc. 5/8/1952 Newspaper clipping (4/17/1978) of State Officers for the Licensed Practical Nurses Association being chosen in Durham, North Carolina. From left to right: Sammy Griffin, President of the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses and also Executive Director of the state group; Phyllis Nuchurch, Social Chairwoman; Elizabeth T. James, Present of the state group; and Ernestine Turner, President of the Durham-area group and member of the Executive Board. 

The NCLPNA was a predominately African American nursing group. This collection documents the professional nursing group’s work and is comprised of their administrative records. It contains subject files, financial records, property records, meeting minutes, reports, printed materials, continuing education and conference materials, committee records, membership materials, and documentation pertaining to the start of the NCLPNA.

Check back for an announcement once this collection is processed and opened to researchers!

Selection of North Carolina Licensed Practical Nurses Association brochures Box from the unprocessed collection

This blog post was contributed by Medical Center Archives Assistant Director Lucy Waldrop.