Evelyn Crary Bacon Papers

Information was compiled from correspondence and notes in the collection and from Barbara Brodie's book, Mr. Jefferson’s Nurses: University of Virginia School of Nursing 1901-2001, published by UVA in 2000.

Evelyn Crary Bacon was born in Iowa in 1916 and earned baccalaureate and master's degrees from the University of Iowa School of Nursing in 1937 and 1940. From 1942 to 1945 she served in the Army Nurse Corps in the USA and in England, then taught at UCLA and the University of Iowa before enrolling in a doctoral program at the University of Chicago in 1949. Before completing her degree she married Franklin Bacon and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where she taught extension courses throughout the state for UVA's Cabaniss School of Nursing Education. She served as acting chair of the university's Department of Nursing Education from 1954 to 1956, then joined the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia School of Nursing in 1960. From 1965 to 1968 Bacon headed the Richmond Professional Institute and during the 1970s and 80s she taught at a number of institutions and was in demand as a consultant. Throughout her career in the state she was a recognized leader in Virginia nursing education, known for her work with the Virginia State Board of Nursing (VSBN), the Virginia Nurses Association (VNA), the Virginia League for Nursing (VLN), and the Southern Regional Education Board. Bacon was also active in the National League for Nursing (NLN). In 1985 she retired from the faculty of the J.S. Reynolds Community College in Richmond.