WOODY, MARY FLORENCE, 1926-2010.
Mary Woody papers, 1947-2008, undated

Restrictions on Access

Special restrictions apply: writings of others found in Box 17 is restricted until 2060; Emory University Hospital memorandum found in Box 17 is restricted until further notice.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Related Materials in This Repository

Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Records, HS-S017.

Source

Unknown.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Mary Woody Papers, Historical Collections, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by Clayton McGahee, 2016.

Biographical Note

Born in Lafayette, Alabama in 1926, Mary Florence Woody earned her diploma in nursing from Charity Hospital School of Nursing in 1947 before earning her Bachelor of Nursing and Masters of Nursing Service Administration from Columbia University. During the course of her career, Mary Woody became a pioneer in the nursing profession. She joined the Emory University Hospital in 1956 where she served as Assistant Director for Medical and Surgical Nursing, a position she held until 1968 when she became the Assistant Hospital Director and Director of Nursing at Grady Memorial Hospital. While at Grady, Mary Woody helped establish a diabetes day care program, specialized nurse-managed clinics, and a patient education program. Mary Woody also recruited Elizabeth Sharp from Yale University to found the nurse midwifery program at Grady.

In 1979, Mary Woody's career turned to academics where she became the founding dean and professor of the Auburn University School of Nursing. She returned to Atlanta in 1984 as director of nursing at Emory University Hospital and associate dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. During her time at Emory, Mary Woody and Dean Clair Martin established a collaborative model enabling hospital nurses to teach students and nursing faculty to maintain a clinical practice. She also established new roles for Emory University Hospital nurses in transplantation medicine and pain and incontinence management.

Throughout her career, Mary Woody was very active in the nursing profession. She served on numerous committees, most notably as the Chairperson and Board of Directors of the American Journal of Nursing Company; she also held numerous professional memberships including the American Academy of Nursing, National League for Nursing, the American Nurses' Association, among others. Mary Woody was also extensively published, her works featured in Nursing Research and American Journal of Nursing; she was also a co-author for the book "Applying the Problem-Oriented System," published in 1973.

Mary Woody died on April 28, 2010 at the age of 84.

Scope and Content Note

These papers consist of articles, speeches, and other writings from Mary Woody as well as from others throughout the nursing profession. Also included are office files from her time at Grady Memorial Hospital, Auburn University, and Emory University, files retained while she was a member of the American Academy of Nursing, American Nurses Association, among many others, and committee files from several committees which Mary Woody served on throughout her career. In addition to her professional papers, the collection also includes extensive personal material from Mary Woody, including early and casual photographs, correspondence, handwritten notes, and a scrapbook.

Arrangement Note

Organized by material type and then alphabetically.