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Legacy of the Lamp
The School of Nursing initiated the Legacy of the Lamp ceremony in the spring of 2000 to honor the academic success of students who have completed NU 202 (Introductory Practicum in Nursing) and to recognize their progression into upper-division nursing coursework.
The Legacy of the Lamp is a tribute to Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820 - August 13, 1910), pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods. Ms Nightingale became known as "The Lady With The Lamp" from her work nursing wounded soldiers by candlelight at Scutari Hospital in Turkey during the Crimean War. However, "Florence Nightingale was distinctly not the romantic, retiring Victorian gentlewoman most of us imagine. She was a bright, tough, driven professional, a brilliant organizer and statistician, and one of the most influential women in 19th-century England." Among her many accomplishments was " transforming nursing ... to a respectable profession; establishing a nursing school at St. Thomas's Hospital; [and] laying out the principles of nursing in print in 1860." (from the Women's History website, Dec. 10, 2004)
Left to right: 2003 Alumnus of the Year Amy Kindred Johnson, 2004 Alumnus of the Year Rebecca Josefson Wright, MU President Doug Zemke, Dean of School of Nursing Kathy Booker, and 2001 Alumnus of the Year Carol Smith.
ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
To be eligible for the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the candidate must be a School of Nursing alumnus, be an exemplary role model for nursing students and professionals, and hold a position of significant leadership or influence in the health care field.
The award is made during the annual Legacy of the Lamp ceremony, at which time the honoree gives an informal talk to the current nursing students.
| 2006 - 2007
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Theresa Rutherford (1990) is current the Chief Nurse Executive at St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur, Illinois |
| 2005 - 2006
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Ellen Zindel (1995) is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner working for Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants in Decatur. |
2004-2005
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Rebecca Josefson Wright, BSN, MD
(1990 School of Nursing graduate)
Raised and educated in Decatur, Becky graduated summa cum laude from Millikin University in 1990. She worked as a staff nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur and at Kirksville Osteopathic Medical Center in Kirksville, MO before moving to Chicago to serve as a research nurse and project coordinator for the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at Children’s Memorial Medical Center.
Then, following two years conducting research on newborn hearing screening at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL, Becky entered medical school, earning her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 2001. She completed her pediatric residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL; and in September, 2004, began practicing pediatrics at OSF-St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac, IL.
Becky is married to David Wright, class of 1988. They have two children. |
| 2003-2004
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Amy Kindred Johnson, BSN, MSN
(1994 School of Nursing graduate)
Amy Kindred Johnson is currently Instructor of Nursing at the Millikin University School of Nursing. After graduating from Millikin with a perfect 4.0 grade point average for her BSN degree, Amy obtained a Master's degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Indiana University. Amy's areas of professional focus are pediatrics and neonatal intensive care. She works per diem in a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. |
| 2002-2003
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 Katie Bezak Dill, RN, BSN
(1987 School of Nursing graduate)
Katie Bezak Dill of Fresno, Calif., a nurse executive at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fresno and a 1987 School of Nursing graduate, was named the School’s Distinguished Alumnus in a ceremony held on campus Feb. 7, 2002. Dill was honored during the third annual Legacy of the Lamp. |
| 2001-2002
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Carol Smith, RN, MSN
Carol is currently a Certified Wound and Ostomy Advanced Practice Nurse at Decatur Memorial Hospital' Wound Clinic. She also is Community Parish Nurse Coordinator for the Decatur Memorial Foundation. Carol Completed Wound Ostomy and Continence training in Minnesota in 1992 and was certified in 1993. She served on the National WOCN Board of Directors from 1998 to 2003. In 1997, Carol received her Master's Degree from University of Illinois Chicago. She has also completed an Educators Course from the International Parish Nurse Resource Center and conducts a class annually for nurses interested in parish nursing. She is a faculty affiliate of the Millikin School of Nursing. Carol was honored during the second Legacy of the lamp.
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2000-2001
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Sue Kiefer-Griffin CRNA, MSN (left)
(1982 School of Nursing graduate)
Sue is currently [in 2000] the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesia Program Director at Decatur Memorial Hospital. After graduating from Millikin with a BSN degree, Sue obtained an Master's degree in Nursing from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. Sue received the first Distinguished Alumni Award from acting Dean Sheryl Samuelson PhD, RN during the first Legacy of the Lamp ceremony in the spring of 2000.
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