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Jane D. Keeler papers
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]Claire Fagin Hall, 418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-4217
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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Jane D. Keeler received her training in nursing at the St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in New York City, Class of 1942. After World War II, she attended Columbia University's Teachers College where she received a Bachelor of Science (1949) and Master of Arts (1954) in Public Health Nursing.
After graduating from St. Luke's Hospital, Keeler served as Head Nurse in St. Luke's Hospital from 1942 to 1943. In 1943, she joined the United States Army Nurse Corps and worked on the west coast of the United States and in the Philippines. In 1945, she returned to St. Luke's Hospital to work for an additional two years as Head Nurse. From 1947 until 1958, Keeler worked for the Visiting Nurses Association of Brooklyn where she was a Supervisor and in 1956 became an Administrative Assistant. After working for the Visiting Nurse Association of Brooklyn, Keeler moved on to the National League of Nursing within its Department of Public Health Nursing. She stayed with the National League for Nursing for two years. In 1960, she became the Executive Director of the Visiting Nurse Association in New Haven, where she stayed until her retirement in 1982.
Keeler also served as a board member for many organizations. She served for, among others, the Hill Health Board, New Haven Connecticut (1968-1982); Hospice, Inc., New Haven, Connecticut (1972-1974); Connecticut League for Nursing (1961-1972) where she served as Treasurer from 1969 to 1972; and the National Task Force on Home Health (1981-1982). Keeler also served as an Associated Clinical Professor at the Yale University's School of Nursing and a lecturer in the Yale's School of Epidemiology and Public Health.
This collection documents the evolution of Keeler's career in the nursing profession ranging from her training school days to the directorship of a well established visiting nurse association. The collection includes personal and biographical material, most notably a 1985 oral history interview (with transcripts) and speeches. Also included are various files reflecting her work with professional and educational organizations such as Association of Community Health Service Agencies, Council of Medical Social Services Board, Community Service Society of New York, Visiting Nurse Association of New Haven, National League for Nursing, Yale University.
Gift of Jane D. Keeler, 1991.
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- University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing
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- Finding aid prepared by Center staff, updated by Bethany Myers
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This collection is unrestricted.
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Center with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
This series includes aspects of Keeler's personal life including her curriculum vitae and an oral history interview (with transcripts) of an oral history taken in 1985. Also included is an audiotape kept by Keeler about the history of public health nursing. This series also includes speeches delivered by Keeler, mostly before the National League of Nursing concerning public health nursing and home health agencies. Included too for the National League of Nursing and Association of Community Health Service Agencies.
This series contains information on five organizations: The Board Members Organization (later know as the Association of Community Health Service Agencies) Council of Medical Social Services Boards, Community Service Society of New York, Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven, and the National League of Nurses. Information on the Association of Community Health Service Agencies includes background information and a run of its monthly publication Pass it On. The files of the Council of Medical Social Services Boards include speeches given by Mrs. C. E. A. Winslow, who was a long time board member of the Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven and president of the board from 1927-1937.
The bulk of this series reflects the Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven, the organization in which Ms. Keeler spent most of her professional career. Included are background files of the Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven, speeches given by former presidents and executive directors such as Elizabeth Fox who retired in 1949, reports, an anniversary bulletin, and a copy of the Visiting Nurses Association of New Haven's application to the National League for Nursing for accreditation. Files relating to the National League for Nursing include a speech by Martha Adams, and some reports and pamphlets.