Monday, February 18, 2013

Military Monday: Dolores Pape's US Cadet Nurse Corps Membership Cards

Dolores Mary Pape, senior picture, from
1947 Loyola University-Chicago yearbook
 Like my Aunt Betty, her third cousin, Dolores Mary Pape (1926-1995), was a member of the United State Cadet Nurse Corps.  This was a program created during World War II to address an anticipated shortage of nurses.  Candidates would receive "subsidization of nursing school tuition, associated expenses, and a shorter training period. In exchange, applicants pledged to actively serve in essential civilian or other federal government services for the duration of the war." (Wikipedia).

Here are Dolores' senior photo and her two Corps membership cards.  Also like my Aunt Betty, Dolores participated in the program through St. Francis Hospital's School of Nursing in Evanston, Illinois.  The nursing program was affiliated with Loyola University in Chicago.

Dolores was the oldest daughter of August Peter Pape (1893-1947) and his first wife, Rose Anna Alles (1893-1929).


© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.


4 comments:

  1. That's so awesome. I love seeing documents from women in family history. Why? Because it makes the roles women play more valuable. Thanks for posting.

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  2. You are so right, Devon! Thank you for commenting! I'm following your lovely genealogy blog now.

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  3. This is wonderful information. I wish more families of Cadet Nurses would realize that sharing this information is so important in maintaining the history of these wonderful women. They put forth so much in service to their country in time of war and to humanity in time of need. It's important that we can still recognize that service, as a way of inspiring others to do the same.
    Had I been a part of this generation, I would have been right there with them. Being born with the desire to be a nurse (it's the only explanation I have for a desire that I have always been conscious of, since about the age of 4), and inspired to serve in the military as well, this would have been the perfect combination of programs for me.
    I did in fact participate in a now long-defunct government education program, known as C.E.T.A., back in the middle 70's, which not only paid all my expenses to Practical Nursing school ~ tuition, books, clinical uniforms and cap, fees, bookstore allowance quarterly, nursing shoes, you name it ~ at a statewide Vocational College, it also paid minimum wage for classroom and clinical time. I did extremely well, in classroom and hospital clinical courses, but unfortunately I was unable to complete the program after developing some health issues concurrent with a "surprise" when my husband and I discovered the impending arrival of our daughter! It was a disappointment to lose my place in the program, but our daughter has always been our blessing.
    I found my way back to school at a midlife career change, and after discovering the existence of the Surgical Technology program at the same school. It was exactly what I needed, and after two years, I spent 15 more devoted to a career I dearly loved.
    But, I have never lost my love for or fascination with nursing, especially of an historical nature. And this program has always intrigued me. Anything ofva 40's history nature has been of interest, but anything to do with nursing and the military.
    I am glad I found this post! This is wonderful information, as I said, and I have added it to my Pinterest board devoted to the U S Cadet Nurse Corps, with all her pertinent information included. Thank you for posting this here to share with the world!

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    1. Shari, thank you for commenting! I hope you also clicked the link in the very first sentence of this post about my Aunt Betty, who also participated in this program. You might also want to read "They Called Them Angels" by Kathi Jackson (see http://riofriotex.blogspot.com/2008/12/68-they-called-them-angels.html). I most definitely remember the CETA program as it was still active when I began working for the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1979 (although its demise played a part in my career path there). Thank you for sharing your story!

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