Dorothy Davis Cook
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Dorothy Davis Cook (March 29, 1912 – June 28, 2005) was an American missionary
registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...
with the
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century. The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...
who served in Swaziland (now
Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
from 1940 to 1972. Cook built the nurse aide program and established the first state-registered nurse program in Swaziland. She was given the nickname “Mother of Swazi Nurses” for the education she provided to several hundred Swazi Christian nurses.


Early life

Dorothy Fay Davis Cook was born on March 29, 1912, in Hugo, Colorado, as the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hurshel Davis. She came from a family with roots in
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. Her paternal grandparents were farmers in Iowa, while her maternal grandparents were the owners of the M.M. Smith General Merchandise store in Royah, Colorado. The Davis grandparents were
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...
and relocated, along with their children and eventually grandchildren, including Dorothy, to a Quaker village in Whittier, California. Cook grew up in a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
home, and she spent the majority of her childhood in
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...
, California. At the age of 14, the Alhambra
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century. The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...
became the church her family belonged to. She attended Alhambra High School. and in 1930, attended the first Nazarene institution for higher education, Pasadena College (now called
Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a Private college, private Christianity, Christian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with its main campus in Point Loma, San Diego, Point Loma in San Diego, California, Unit ...
), earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934 with a major in education and a minor in religion. She continued her education at the Nazarene Samaritan Hospital in
Nampa The Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) is the national news agency of the Republic of Namibia. It was founded in 1987 under the name Namibia Press Association as a SWAPO partisan press agency, and resuscitated after independence under its current name ...
, Idaho. The Samaritan Hospital was established in 1920 and closed in 1954, graduating a total of 236 nurses. Cook became a licensed registered nurse by the State of Idaho on 16 November 1938.


Career

Cook was appointed to the Nazarene missionary service on November 22, 1939. She arrived in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
on June 4, 1940, and spent her first year in the north of Swaziland in Endzingini. She moved to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital and Nazarene Nursing School in Bremersdorp to take the position of leader of the Swazi nursing program as Principal Tutor. Cook mentored Eva (Manzini) Mthethwa, the first Swazi nurse to pass the
Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...
Nursing Council’s examination and be fully registered. Together, the two helped to create the Nursing Procedure Manual, which was used by all nurses trained in Eswatini after 1946. In 1945, Davis completed all requirements in Zulu study, the native language of the people. In 1946, she became a certified nurse midwife, which left her with the task of delivering high-risk patients both in homes and in the hospital. After this certification, she completed her sister training in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, in order to become the principal of the Nazarene Nursing School. She was also
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene and held daily services in the hospital and in the nursing school. Davis worked closely with David Hynd, who established the first hospital in the country, Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital. She contracted
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and was treated by Hynd with intravenous
quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...
. Cook left Swaziland in 1972. She served on the High Commission Territories Nursing Council, the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
governing body for Swaziland Cook returned to Southern California and worked as a hospital supervisor and lived at the Nazarene missionary retirement center. She met a retired missionary, Ralph Cook, and married him in 1984.


Writing

In 1965, Cook co-authored the ''Swaziland Nurse and Midwifery Act'' She started the ''Swaziland Nursing Journal'' and the publication of the 1971 issue was devoted to the work she was doing. She was also first editor of the ''Nazarene Nursing News'' Cook published the book: ''Nursing in Swaziland'' in 1975, and wrote four nursing texts.


Awards

Davis was honored with the Member of the
Member of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
award for her service in Swaziland. She also received the
Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century. The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...
Distinguished Service Award


Death and legacy

Cook died on June 28, 2005.Ancestry.com. ''U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/15594923:60901?tid=&pid=&queryId=67518504-a254-46c0-8553-5d07b2b19611&_phsrc=WIS17&_phstart=successSource Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. The ''Dorothy Fay Davis Silver Medal'' was established annually in Swaziland to recognise a nursing student's efforts.


References


Sources

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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Dorothy Davis Wikipedia Student Program 1912 births 2005 deaths People from Lincoln County, Colorado Christian medical missionaries American Christian missionaries American nurses American editors American women editors Members of the Order of the British Empire American expatriates in Eswatini Protestant missionaries in Eswatini