Helen Fredericka Turner Watson (July 3, 1917 – September 26, 1992) was an American nurse and educator. She was one of the first African American women to receive a commission in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, serving as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps from 1945 to 1946. An alumna of the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, she became an associate professor at the UConn School of Nursing.

Early life and education

Watson was born in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, United States, on July 3, 1917, one of five children of Frederick D. and Helen Gilbert Turner. She grew up in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, where she graduated from Weaver High School in 1935. She attended the Lincoln School for Nurses in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and graduated as a

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 ...

in 1939. Watson returned to Hartford to teach in the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

home nursing and first aid program from October 1939 to January 1941. She also worked as a temporary staff nurse for the Hartford Visiting Nurse Association until October 1941, when she moved to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, to study

public health nursing Public health nursing, also known as community health nursing is a nursing specialty focused on public health. The term was coined by Lillian Wald of the Henry Street Settlement, or, Public health nurses (PHNs) or community health nurses "integr ...

on a federal scholarship at the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center (VCU Health), formerly known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), is the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, United States. As MCV, VCU Medical Center merged ...

. For two years, she worked as nursing supervisor and community health educator for the Bergen County Tuberculosis and Health Association in

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is the most populous municipality in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

, while pursuing nursing coursework and fieldwork at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

Military service

Watson enlisted in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

in New York City on April 20, 1945. She received her officer's commission as

in the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps on June 13. She was the second of four African American women to become commissioned officers in the Navy Reserve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Her newly minted fellow ensigns included

Phyllis Mae Dailey Phyllis Mae Dailey (March 12, 1919 – October 31, 1976) was an American nurse and officer who became the first African American woman either to serve in the United States Navy or to become a commissioned Navy officer. An alumna of the Lincoln ...

of New York City (the first African American woman in history to receive a Navy commission, on March 8), Edith Mazie DeVoe of

Washington, D.C Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

., and Eula Loucille Stimley of

Centreville, Mississippi Centreville is a town in Amite and Wilkinson counties, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the McComb, Mississippi micropolitan statistical area. Its population was 1,258 in 2020. Bethany Presbyterian Church is a historic church in Cent ...

. Watson left the Navy in 1946 after the war ended.

Professional career

On leaving the Navy, Watson earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in nursing from the

in 1947 and a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

from

in 1952. Her bachelor's degree focused on public health nursing, while her master's degree focused on mental health nursing in relation to the growth and development of children. Watson worked as a public health and school nursing consultant for the

Connecticut State Department of Education The Connecticut State Department of Education is a branch of the state government of Connecticut in the United States. The agency is headquartered at 450 Columbus Boulevard in Hartford. she joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, where she taught community and child health for eighteen years and achieved tenure at the rank of associate professor. Retiring on June 1, 1983, she received an honorary appointment as Associate Professor Emerita courtesy of the university's board of trustees in 1984. In addition to her academic duties, Watson served on several statewide commissions. Governor

John N. Dempsey John Noel Dempsey (January 3, 1915 – July 16, 1989) was an American politician who was the 81st Governor of Connecticut. He was a Democrat, and began his political career at the age of 21 serving on the Putnam City Council. He later served a ...

appointed her to serve on the State of Connecticut's Committee on the Status of Women and the State Health Coordinating Council. Governor

Ella Grasso Ella Rosa Giovianna Oliva Grasso (née Tambussi; May 10, 1919 – February 5, 1981) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 83rd governor of Connecticut from January 8, 1975, to December 31, 1980, after r ...

appointed her to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Commission on Hospitals and Healthcare (on which she was the sole registered nurse), and Blue Ribbon Committee to Investigate the Nursing Home Industry in Connecticut. Watson also served on the board of directors of the Women's League of Hartford for more than ten years, including five years as president. She was a member of the Connecticut State Nurses Association,

Sigma Theta Tau The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing () is the second-largest nursing organization in the world with approximately 135,000 active members. History In 1922 six Indiana University students at the Indiana University Training S ...

, Phi Lambda Theta, Royal Society of Health, National Organization for Public Health Nursing,

American Nurses Association The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a 501(c)(6) professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is b ...

, and American School Health Association. A former editorial board member of the '' Journal of School Health'', Watson published widely in professional journals. She received the Award for Service to School Children of Connecticut (1961), the National Distinguished Service Award (1962), the Citation for Outstanding Achievement (1963), and the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Nursing Education (1973) from various state and national professional associations.

Personal life

Helen married Harold B. Watson, with whom she had a daughter, Jeannette W. Weldon; a son, Norman S. Watson; and four stepsons, Harold, Richard, Everett, and Kenneth Watson. Her name was given as Helen Turner Rogers on the University of Connecticut's commencement program of June 1947. Watson died on September 26, 1992, at the age of 75. Funeral services were held at the First Congregational Church of Willimantic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Helen Turner 1917 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators African-American women academics 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American nurses American nurses American women academics Educators from Connecticut Female United States Navy nurses in World War II Military personnel from Hartford, Connecticut Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) American nursing educators People from Augusta, Georgia United States Navy reservists University of Connecticut alumni University of Connecticut faculty Yale University alumni Lincoln School for Nurses alumni