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| Vol. 25, No. 9 |
| May 15, 2003 |
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Remembering Where they Started By PAUL HARASIM St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital When St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital opened its doors in 1954, Margaret Simon was a registered nurse in the maternity ward. During her more than 30 years on staff, she became more and more appreciative of volunteers – individuals who made sure there were hair dryers for new mothers and that clocks got on the wall in the maternity ward ... people who showed up with cakes and cookies for nurses to thank them for the work they did. When Lucelia Jones entered the job market in 1960, there weren’t many general hospitals that hired black nurses without putting some restrictions on where they worked. But when Jones met Opal Benage, the director of nursing at St. Luke’s, she found race wasn’t an issue. Though Jones would go on to become director of vocational nursing at Houston Community College, she never forgot how she was treated at St. Luke’s. Today, both Simon and Jones are volunteers at St. Luke’s, giving back to the institution that meant so much to them. Simon takes students on tours to witness heart surgery. She’s also part of the Art Cart Program that brings a collection of art photography to patients, allowing them to choose which photograph they would like in their rooms. Jones helps families of loved ones deal with their anxiety in the sixth floor coronary care waiting area. “When I retired, I found I was missing people,” says Simon, who met oilman Glenn McCarthy and Houston Oiler Earl Campbell at St. Luke’s when new babies came into their lives. “I always remembered how volunteers made St. Luke’s extra special and I decided I could do that, too.” For Jones, who showed broadcaster Ron Stone and singer Kenny Rogers their newborns, it is always important to “share the talents you have with other people. I’m good at listening to people and showing them someone cares.” Though she worked at St. Luke’s for only four years in a nursing career that spanned nearly 30, she felt St. Luke’s was the place to volunteer. “You don’t forget a place that gives you a chance,” she says.
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/05_15_03/page_15.html |