A GRATEFUL PROFESSION BIDS FAREWELL

New Jersey Nurse, Jul/Aug 2004 by Cappelli, Mimi

Memorial Celebration of the life of Clara Gray Lidz, Professor Emeritus Mercer County Community College, Kelsey Theatre, June 4, 2004

Today, we remember, that with the loss of Clara Lidz, a great leader in nursing, a great nurse educator, and a beloved colleague has fallen.

Social science tells us that a professional is one who participates in their professional organization, and one who maintains collegial relationships within that organization. Clara distinguished herself as professional in the nursing community, bringing expertise, dedication, and compassion to all her endeavors.

More importantly, she distinguished herself as a leader in her chosen profession. Some believe leaders are born. Some believe leaders are made. I believe Clara was born a leader. With her inherent leadership characteristics, she took the challenge and made a commitment to serve as a nursing leader. She served willingly and with passion.

I believe Clara had a passion for nursing. She was a leader in the profession for over 40 years. Think for a moment what a 40-year commitment means. Twenty different people share a forty-year commitment as an officer in the New Jersey state nurses association. After two years, this leader's term ends. Clara chose to stay.

I asked several friends who knew Clara what they first thought of when I mentioned her name. One friend said, "People came and went...Clara was always there". Clara was always there. She touched the lives of countless nurses for nearly one-half a century...an extraordinary legacy.

Clara was described as a "nurse's nurse". Another nurse colleague said: "If you needed a nurse, you would want Clara there". Another simply said, "I remember when I first met Clara...I didn't know her well...I remember Clara".

I knew Clara personally for many years. I know that the impact she had on every nurse who crossed her path was immeasurable.

Another nurse who knew Clara as an educator said, "Years after a student graduated, she remembered them by name".

Martha Rogers, a renowned nursing educator and theorist at New York University, passed away in 1994 after over 50 years in nursing. A friend called me that day and said, "If you feel the earth rumbling today, it is because every Rogerian scholar is mourning". I remember exactly how I felt that day...my teacher, my role model; a great nursing leader was gone.

I felt the same deep sorrow when I heard that Clara had passed away. I can also tell you that every student who had ever known Clara, no matter where they were on January 14, 2004, had a vague sense of uncertainty, a vague sense of grief. They felt the grief that weall feel here today, because there is nothing more profound to a student than the loss of a beloved teacher. I am sure that every student, whom Clara taught, when they heard of her passing, felt this overwhelming sense of loss.

If you are a nurse, and you knew Clara Lidz, you knew a dignified nursing leader. If you are a nurse and you knew Clara Lidz, you knew a special educator. If you are a nurse and you knew Clara Lidz, you are a better person...a better nurse. In her own inimitable way, she captured the essence of nursing, and every nurse who knew Clara knows this tobe true.

Today, on behalf of the nursing community, and on behalf of a grateful profession, we bid farewell to Clara Lidz.

Clara's sons, Doug, David, and Steven have established a scholarship fund in Clara's memory. To participate, send donations to the MCCC Foundation, P. O. Box B, Trenton, NJ 08690.

Eulogy given by Mimi Cappelli, President, NJSNA