Charlotte Bowers Nelson papers
Content Description
This collection consists of personal medical records for Charlotte Bowers Nelson when she was being treated for tuberculosis between 1948-1961. Regarding her treatments and health, there are letters of correspondence between her father Dr. Thaddeus R. Bowers, Jr. of Bristol, Tennessee and Dr. Frank B. Safford at the Blue Ridge Sanatorium. Additional authors of letters include doctors, family members, and administration from Duke University. There are also reports from her radiologist Dr. George W. McCall, x-ray reports, Nurses' Record charts, graphic charts, a Home and Health Calendar with doctor's appointments noted, hand-written notes, consultation notes, request for ambulatory service slips, an application for admission to the Blue Ridge Sanatorium, lab work request slips, a health data and physical status report, and nursing notes written by her mother, Ruth Moore Bowers.
Dates
- Creation: 1946 - 1961
Conditions Governing Access
Even though this collection contains Protected Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII), the donors signed a HIPAA waiver to make this collection accessible to the public.
Biographical / Historical
Charlotte Bowers Nelson (June 28, 1931 — July 9, 2023) was born in Bristol, Virginia, and grew up in Bristol, Tennessee, the daughter of Dr. Thaddeus R. Bowers and Ruth Moore Bowers. Her husband was Dr. Gustav C. Nelson (May 19, 1927 — December 10, 2011).
In 1948, Nelson was diagnosed with tuberculosis during a routine screening at her high school. Her father contacted Dr. Frank B. Stafford at the Blue Ridge Sanatorium, persuading him to allow her to be treated at home. After a year of bed rest, she returned to school briefly but suffered a relapse after graduation, requiring another year of treatment. She later attended King College part-time before pursuing sociology at Duke University, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Additionally, she earned a Master of Arts in Religion from Columbia University and a Master of Public Administration from Drake University.
Following her studies, Nelson directed teen programs at the YWCA in her hometown and taught religion and sociology at Beaver College in Pennsylvania. She held leadership roles in the League of Women Voters in Iowa, as well as in Beloit, Wisconsin, and she initiated the first women's studies course at Drake University.
After obtaining her MPA, Nelson interned for the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa and worked for the Iowa Department of Human Services. In 1985, she became the Executive Director of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, a position she held for 22 years under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Throughout her tenure, Nelson advocated tirelessly for women's rights, promoting pay equity, gender balance on state boards, and supporting legislation on equity, family planning, and combating domestic violence and sexual assault. Even after retiring, she remained active on boards including Iowa Friends of Legal Services, Iowa CareGivers, Westminster House, and the National Association of Commissions on the Status of Women.
In 1994, Charlotte Bowers Nelson was chosen as one of three "Visionary Women" by the Young Women's Resource Center in Des Moines. She is included in Who’s Who of American Women.
Extent
12 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection does not have series and is arranged alphabetically.
Condition Description
Materials are in good condition but should be handled carefully.
- Author
- Amanda Greenwood
- Date
- 2024
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library Repository
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library
1300 Jefferson Park Avenue
P.O. Box 800722
Charlottesville Virginia 22908-0722 United States
mailto:hsl-historical@virginia.edu