It was 125 years ago in April that Emily Loveridge stepped from a train in Portland and by June, she had launched the Good Samaritan School of Nursing, a rich heritage of nursing excellence that continues today.
She started off with six students and they endured a grueling daily schedule of 12 to 16 hours. “Miss Emily” became a revered northwest leader in nursing and served as superintendent of the school for 40 years, preparing hundreds of students for the nursing profession. She tackled hygiene and lack of sterile conditions and in 40 years of service to Good Samaritan, “she insisted that a nurses’ discipline reside not simply in following rules, but in the steady and persistent contribution one made to patient welfare,” according to Inspired Pragmatism: An Illustrated History of Linfield College.
In 1985, Good Samaritan School School of Nursing joined Linfield as the Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing and that long tradition of excellence has continued. Near the end of her career, Loveridge wrote her memoir, As I Remember, chronicling her life and the growth of Good Samaritan.
Rosa Gimson ’12 captured the rich and significant history of the School of Nursing. She inventoried items, organized the collection, and digitized and catalogued most of the photos. “Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing: A Legacy Empowering a Community” highlights the legacy of the nursing school from 1873 to 1985. More than 250 images are available here.
