Alumni Association

NMC Class of 1972 Celebrates 50 Years

On a crisp fall morning in late September, you couldn’t miss the warmth radiating from the Alumni Center at Nebraska Methodist College (NMC) – The Josie Harper Campus. The hugs. The laughter. The energy of former classmates reconnecting after 50 years.

The Class of 1972’s reunion brunch included all the staples – sandwiches, fruit and apple strudel – but the memories, by far, were the main course.

“My best memories are the people,” said Kathryn (Carlson) Gannon, who helped to rally the reunion crowd of more than 50.

“We had such a great bonding experience – how many times we cried and we laughed,” said Carlene (Laverty) Paine.

A striped sheet from the old dorm – what was once Schimmel’s Indian Hills Inn – made an appearance. There was talk of popcorn parties, contraband toasters and the occasional disciplinary course correction in the head office.

“My favorite part was meeting Edna Fagan in her office,” said Beverly (Lee) Ordway to a chorus of laughter.

Reunion guests shared about the careers – the decades spent nursing around the country, night and day, and how well their education at then Methodist College of Nursing prepared them.

“The training we got at Methodist was top-notch. I oriented nurses for 40 of my 46 years in nursing, and they’d come out of school with a lot fewer practicals. We had an excellent education,” said Marcy (Fusselman) Wilcke.

“I loved being a nurse. I loved washing people’s feet and brushing people’s teeth,” Paine said. “I’m very grateful to Methodist for my education – and I, too, was in Edna Fagan’s office.”

As part of the reunion celebration, each alumna received her 50th anniversary pin – and a few more memories to add to their treasured collections.