Table of Contents
Luncheon Makes a Difference
for
Nursing Students, Patients
PARTNERS luncheon speaker Linda Armstrong Kelly, left, autographs copies of her book, No Mountain High Enough, for Carolyn Cullinan, center, registered nurse and PARTNERS board member, and Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., dean of the UT School of Nursing at Houston. Photos by Kim Coffman
UT Health Science Center at Houston President James T. Willerson, M.D., and his wife, Nancy, right, a registered nurse, greet Linda Armstrong Kelly at the PARTNERS luncheon.
Delighted with attendance are luncheon chair Mary Martha Stinnett, left, and PARTNERS chair Maria Pappas.
A pregnant teenager found care and compassion from the nurse in her doctor’s office. The mother of a cancer patient found wonderful nurses who showed her the ropes during her son’s chemotherapy.
Both those experiences are part of the story of Linda Armstrong Kelly, mother of seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.
At the 12th annual PARTNERS luncheon benefiting The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston, Kelly discussed her journey from a povertystricken teenage mother in an abusive relationship to a role model and business executive, single-handedly raising a child who would overcome cancer and go on to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.
“We had the most wonderful nurses I ever came in contact with at the time we needed them the most,” Kelly said about the period during which Armstrong underwent treatment for testicular cancer.
“UT School of Nursing PARTNERS program,” she said, “I love you for what you’re doing to make a difference here at this school and to train more caregivers and help faculty make a difference.”
More than $213,000 will go to support student scholarships and faculty research at the School of Nursing as a result of the luncheon at the Hilton Houston Hotel. Over the years, PARTNERS has provided 56 full scholarships and 27 faculty research grants.
Maria Pappas, chair of PARTNERS, thanked those attending for “understanding the need for welltrained nurses. Thank you for acknowledging the very special human ministry that nurses throughout our community provide.”
Pappas presented two medical reference books to the school for the library in honor of nurses in the community, especially those who worked beyond their usual nursing duties to render aid to individuals who evacuated to Houston in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Accepting on behalf of all the nurses was Elda Ramirez, assistant professor in the nursing school’s Department of Acute and Continuing Care and director of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner program. She was actively involved in the UT Health Science Center at Houston’s clinic for Hurricane Katrina evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Elda Ramirez, assistant professor of nursing, expresses thanks to PARTNERS for support of the School of Nursing. Ramirez, who was a key participant in the response of the UT Health Science Center at Houston to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, accepted a gift to the school on behalf of all the nurses.
“I can’t thank all of you enough for all the work you do in support of the School of Nursing,” Ramirez said.
She also thanked Patricia L. Starck, D.S.N., the John P. McGovern Distinguished Professor and dean of the school. “Dean Starck has been an inspiration to all of us,” she said. “She’s awesome.”
UT Health Science Center President James T. Willerson, M.D., thanked all those who attended the luncheon. “You’ve shown by your presence and your enthusiasm your support both for The University of Texas and for our nursing school,” he said. “The support you give to the nursing school has allowed many nurses to attend school who otherwise would not be able to become outstanding nurses in our medical center in Houston, throughout the state, throughout the country. The presence of really good nurses who are kind, knowledgeable, energetic and committed makes all the difference in the world to patients.”
By Ina Fried, Public Affairs