Personal Donor Stories

Anna Kuba – Diploma Nurse 1945

A 1945 graduate of the diploma nursing program at Jefferson, Miss Kuba recalls that things were much different when she was a student. “There were very few private rooms—it was mostly big wards staffed by usually one nurse, and lots of students and volunteers. An appendectomy patient would be hospitalized for two weeks! We worked 10-12 hour days and had only two half-days off each week.”

After graduation, Miss Kuba became a nursing instructor in the Jefferson School of Nursing, where she remained until 1954. During that time, she earned her BS and Master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Then came stints as a nursing instructor at Penn and at Boston University followed by positions with the National League for Nursing, American Nurses Association, and as Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Nursing.

Fifteen years ago, Miss Kuba sat down with her lawyer to decide what kind of trust arrangement would be the most advantageous for her and for Jefferson, where she wanted to support nursing education. A charitable remainder trust was the answer—a strategy that would provide a steady income for her retirement years. When the trust expires, Jefferson’s nursing education program will receive a large contribution.

“I think the best thing that can happen to nursing is expansion of the BSN and Master’s programs. The needs that a nurse faces today are much more complex and call for a different kind of education. There are so many new procedures, and nurses have to know how to care for these patients. I also think it’s so important to support private institutions like Jefferson.”

Very active in her retirement, Miss Kuba has traveled the world—Europe, Africa, the Far East, and her favorite, Australia. Fortunately, her heart is still with Jefferson.