Dorothy Marks Thompson, 1934
B.A., Denison University
M.S.N., University of Pennsylvania
Citation awarded June, 1984
Dorothy Marks Thompson, a member of the 50th reunion class of 1934, has given a lifetime of service in the field of nursing, both as a teacher and an administrator.
She received her B.S.N. from the Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing and her M.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania School Of Nursing.
Mrs. Thompson was the unanimous choice to serve as dean during the years of transition when Crozer Theological Seminary turned over the college of nursing to Widener University.
Although there were only 13 students in the first class when Crozer’s college of nursing opened, the school grew rapidly during Mrs. Thompson’s administration, and now enrolls 750 students and offers a master’s as well as a Ph.D. program in addition to the bachelor’s course of study.
In addition to her duties at the college, she served as president of the Chester County, Pa., Nurses Association and co-authored a textbook entitled Readings in Public Health Nursing.
Dorothy Thompson has spent a lifetime helping others, with particular emphasis on the rehabilitation of the visually impaired.
Now retired as dean emeritus of the Widener University School of Nursing, she pursues an active life with many and varied interests.
