Jessie Wetzel Clark Faris

Jessie Wetzel Clark Faris
1882-1960
Retreat for the Sick Training School, 1907
Richmond, Virginia

• First Executive Secretary of the Graduate Nurses Association of Virginia (now the Virginia Nurses Association)
• Founding Editor of Bits of News, the official publication of the Graduate Nurses Association of Virginia
• First nurse member of the Board of Directors of Retreat Hospital
• Designed the Nancy Vance Pin

Jessie Faris, the first and longest serving administrator for the Virginia Nurses Association, established a role for the executive officer in legislative affairs.  She was the founding editor of the association’s first official publication, The Bits of News. Working closely with other nurses and professional organizations, Faris helped push through legislative changes allowing the Virginia Board of Nursing to approve educational programs and grant licenses to practical nurses.

Biography

Bibliography

"Jessie’s life purpose was based on the assumption that responsibilities are ours to fulfill, privileges ours to pass on.  Her service to the community and the various humanitarian causes to which she gave so unselfishly can never be estimated."

Mabel E. Montgomery, Virginia H. Campbell, and Mae L. Hamner “Tribute to Jessie Wetzel Faris” Virginia Nurse Quarterly, Summer, 1960