New exhibit shows history of Southeast nursing program

A recent graduate of Southeast Missouri State University has created an exhibit that explores the more than 50-year history of Southeast's nursing program.

The exhibit, displayed on the third floor of the Rosemary Berkel Crisp Hall of Nursing, features a timeline of the department's history, a biography of its founder, Helen Kinney, and information on how the department serves the region's need for nurses.

The exhibit also features artifacts, including a photo of the first graduating class, Kinney's graduation regalia and a silver tea set Kinney used when hosting teas for nursing students.

During the spring semester, Katelyn Brotherton assembled the exhibit while meeting the requirements to graduate with academic distinction in the Department of History and completed the Jane Stephens Honors Program.

Brotherton, of Leopold, Missouri, graduated from Southeast in May with a degree in historic preservation and is moving to Branson, Missouri, to begin working for the Missouri Main Street Connection.

To create the exhibit, Brotherton worked with Steven Hoffman, professor of history and historic preservation program coordinator; Lily Santoro, assistant professor of history; and Gloria Green, chairwoman of the Department of Nursing.

"(Brotherton) was able to use the project for her own degree completion, and we were able to have a completed history display -- a win-win for all of us," Green said. "We are very pleased with the outcome."

Brotherton started the project by meeting with the nursing department, which owned most of the needed materials.

She split the exhibit into subjects, including the timeline of the nursing program, which provides background that puts everything else into context, Brotherton said.

"Then I talked about the founder and also how they serve the community, not only through the education of nurses, but also through the outreach of the nursing program," she said. "I researched all that, I looked through their stuff at the department, and I looked through the archives on campus. Then I did some background on the nursing field, as well, so I was able to put that all together as a representation of the history of the nursing department."

Brotherton also worked with Cliff Ham, husband of nursing professor Kathy Ham, to create the display cases. Brotherton and Ham designed the cases, and Ham donated time and wood to make them.

"I got to sit with him and design it out and figure out what I wanted to go with the exhibit so that it would fit just right," she said. "It was a great experience to learn about all aspects of exhibit design and then about the nursing department, as well."

A foundation account designated for creating an exhibit on the nursing program's history was used to fund the project.

The department will periodically switch out the exhibit's historical items. The exhibit is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.

Brotherton said although she won't be working on museum exhibits in Branson, organizing the project helped prepare her for the new job.

"To have complete control over that project, it really helped me to know that I can do it," she said. "And I learned to prioritize and plan and schedule everything so it gets accomplished."

klamb@semissourian.com

388-3639

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