Images(2)

Medal, Commemorative

Object number2023.104.7

MediumMetal; Velcro; Adhesive

Credit LineGift of Presbyterian-University Hospital Alumnae Association

DescriptionCircular gold metal medal. Fixed gold metal ring at top center with gold metal ring looped through it. Front of medal has raised border surrounding central U-shaped shield. Shield has candle at center radiating light with university name above and date at base all above banner with Latin text. Reverse is gold with rectangle of gray-green Velcro (hook side) adhered to center.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 1.063 x 0.75 x 0.25 in. (2.7 x 1.9 x 0.6 cm)
InscriptionsFront has text "UNIVERSITY / OF / PITTSBURGH / 1787 / VERITAS ET VIRTUS".
Historical NotesMedal that belonged to Patricia J. Wonderling. Part of a collection related to nurses that worked for Presbyterian University Hospital. The institution was named Presbyterian Hospital from 1893-1961. It is now part of the UPMC health system. Patricia Jean Wonderling Zinsser was in the graduating class of 1942, she passed away on April 2, 2005. Presbyterian Hospital was founded on the North Side of Pittsburgh in 1893 by Dr. Louise Wotring Lyle, the widow of a Presbyterian minister. Lyle had dreamed of opening a hospital to serve the needy and a school to train nurses. She helped found the Women’s Medical College in Cincinnati and graduated from it at the age of 50 in 1892. The next year, she returned to Pittsburgh, the place where she had nursed the wounded during the Civil War, and opened a five-room hospital out of her home. Dr. Jane Vincent, the first female physician in Allegheny County, aided Lyle in her efforts. Within two years she was able to open a school of nursing, and by 1968, it had graduated 2,950 nurses. Presbyterian Hospital eventually merged with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to become Presbyterian-University Hospital. Although the School of Nursing closed, they maintain an active alumnae organization.

Related institution Presbyterian University Hospital

Related institution Presbyterian Hospital

Previous owner Patricia Jean Wonderling Zinsser (died 2005)

Related institution University of Pittsburgh

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