Nursing Hall of Fame established

Two local nurses honored for their achievements

By Chhun Sun

Mary Lopez, chair of Fresno State’s new Nursing Hall of Fame, drew a comparison between nursing and baseball.

“What does baseball have in common with nursing?” asked Lopez. “They have great leaders, great performers and a hall of fame.

“So why not have a hall of fame for nurses?”

Marilyn Hawkins, a Fresno State alumnus who died of breast cancer in 1999, and Charlotte Marvin Brandt, of Bakersfield, were inducted to the new Nursing Hall of Fame on Wednesday in a ceremony at the Smittcamp Alumni House.

A handful of organizations collaborated to create the new Nursing Hall of Fame, a campus project intended to honor and recognize those who have shown leadership in the nursing profession in the San Joaquin Valley. A wall in the H wing of McLane Hall will be dedicated to Hawkins and Brandt, and future inductees.

Hawkins and Brandt were honored in a room full of family, friends, and official nursing figures who knew of their work.

Brandt, now a retired nurse, was in attendance for the induction ceremony. Hawkins’ parents received the honor on their daughter’s behalf.

“Of course, I grew up with my mom, so I know about the high standard she set,” said Hawkins’ son, Ted, who attended the induction in support of his mother. “So I’m not surprised that she’s being honored.”

In 1962, Hawkins received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Fresno State, and then started her career at Fresno Community Hospital. She continued a successful career in nursing, holding a position as supervisor of patient care at Sierra Community Hospital. She eventually got her master’s degree from the University of San Francisco in 1985 and earned the position of president and chief operating officer of Community Medical Systems in 1997.

“She didn’t do things to please people, but she did those things because she knew it was the right thing to do,” Ted said. “She never shied away from anything. She was always a strong leader.”
Even when she discovered she had breast cancer, Hawkins continued to help others.
“She worked until her final days,” Ted said. “Even when she lost her coherency.”

Brandt, who spent 39 years in the nursing profession, kept her humility apparent throughout the induction ceremony.

“There’s nothing like being honored by your peers for something that you’ve done,” Brandt said. “I’m humbled.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of San Francisco in 1965 and her master’s degree in administration/health care administration from CSU, Bakersfield, Brandt spent most of her career as a school nurse in Kern County.

Brandt spent much time helping children, such as those with vision and hearing problems.

She said the ratio of students to school health professionals was 3,000 to one.

“That should be lowered; there should be an increase to the ability of helping others,” Brandt said. “The goal is to make nursing more visible. Nursing has a story to tell, and if nobody will tell it, then who will?”