School of Nursing

 

St. Olaf College, B.S.N. (1969)
University of Hawaii, M.S. (1979); M.P.H. (1979)
University of San Diego, D.N.Sc. (1997)

 

afjsp@uaa.alaska.edu

 

 

With a Dauntless Spirit

With a Dauntless Spirit compiles a unique collection of journals, letters, and memoirs that give immediacy and vitality to the lives of these women. They ventured with a sense of duty and compassion to deliver much-needed medical services before the technical, medical, and social changes brought to Alaska by World War II and later by statehood. Despite physical hardships and emotional isolation, the spirit of these women is reflected in the adventurous, dramatic, and even joyous tone of their narratives. The Arctic tests the character of newcomers, and the nurses recount the very personal challenges that demanded choices and actions that ran contrary to their earlier socialization. Their personal sagas also have significant historical dimensions. They depict the major cultural encounters of their era that were to have a profound impact on Alaska’s future—with Native peoples, prospectors, aviation pioneers, and arctic explorers.