Collection inventory

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Emogene Stook Rose Papers

An inventory of her papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Sean Molinaro
Date: 2012

Revision history:

Historical Note

Emogene Stook was born on August 31, 1907 in Westmoreland, New York. Around 1925, she enrolled in Syracuse University's School of Nursing. During her time in the program, Stook was educated in a variety of areas, as the School recognized the need for nursing professionals to have a breadth of expertise within a field of rapidly expanding professional expectations. To gain the knowledge and skills required of the quickly progressing discipline, Stook and her classmates took courses ranging from Physiology to Dietetics and studied both broad principles of nursing and specific health conditions.

Stook graduated from the School of Nursing in 1929. Though graduates from Syracuse University's School of Nursing were said to be in high demand, her decision to work as a nurse may have been motivated more by a passion for nursing than the idea of an especially practical career path. In an original poem titled "The Nurse," she describes the many unappreciated challenges nurses face in order to do noble work. Nurses, she says, must possess more endurance and bravery than their popular image (that of pretty, delicate women in uniform) would suggest; they must face the human body and spirit in its worst states, work under wearying conditions, and accept meager wages, all while maintaining a pleasant composure. Despite this, Stook does not discourage others from becoming nurses, but insists that potential nurses must have the personal strength and professional passion to endure what is required of them.

During Stook's time at Syracuse University, the School of Nursing attempted to give students practical experiences that would help prepare them for some of the difficulties Stook describes. The School of Nursing, a department of the University since 1915, was connected to the Hospital of the Good Shepard, which served as an active teaching hospital for University students. The Hospital, with 287 beds and several specialized wards, allowed students in the School of Nursing and the Medical College to learn in a real-world environment. The School of Nursing provided students with additional practical education opportunities through partnering with other Syracuse University colleges to provide properly equipped laboratories. A course in bacteriology, for example, would involve lab work in the College of Medicine, while a course in nutrition would utilize the laboratories of the College of Home Economics. These arrangements were partly the result of reforms and reorganization the School of Nursing underwent in the mid-1920s. Those changes would prove successful, as enrollment in the School would significantly increase over that period.

The year after receiving her certificate in nursing, Stook married William W. Rose, with whom she would raise two sons. Emogene Stook Rose died on April 15, 1988.

Scope and Content Note

The Emogene Stook Rose Papers contains materials that mostly date from 1925 to 1928.

Among the most notable items in this collection are two composition books of Stook's notes from classes covering "Communicable Diseases" and "Eye Conditions." Other academic materials from her time at the School of Nursing include a collection of tests she took and some printed review materials from her courses. These well-organized notes, graded tests, and formal review materials provide a look at some of what Stook took away from her education, and they also show how nursing education was approached at the time. Offering further insight into the state of nursing education in Stook's day is a copy of the University of the State of New York's examination to become a registered nurse. Scheduled across four days in January of 1928, this test demonstrates what kind of knowledge was expected of nurses in the late 1920s. Topics on this test include pediatrics, obstetrics, and mental illness.

Materials in this collection of a more personal nature include a poem Stook wrote to be used at a religious service about the many difficulties nurses face in their work and a framed photograph of her in her uniform.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

More information about Syracuse University's College of Nursing may be found in its records, housed in the Syracuse University Archives.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Rose, Emogene Stook.
Syracuse University -- Alumni and alumnae.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University -- Students.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- College of Nursing.

Subjects

Nursing schools.
Nursing students.
Nurses.

Types of Material

Examinations (documents)
Lecture notes.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Emogene Stook Rose Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

In May 2012, the Emogene Stook Rose Papers were generously donated to Syracuse University by her son, John H. Rose, and his wife, Rhoda H. Rose.

Processing Information

Items in this collection were placed in acid-free folders and housed in an acid-free box. A framed photograph in this collection was digitally scanned and added to the Syracuse University Archives' image database.

Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Papers

Inventory