UF College of Nursing says goodbye to Founding Associate Dean Lois Knowles
The College of Nursing lost one of its founders in December with the passing of Lois Knowles, founding associate dean. Knowles died Dec. 17, 2002, at the age of 80.
Knowles served the college from its founding in 1956 until her retirement in 1985. She was a faculty member for 28 years and served as associate dean for 15 years. She became nationally known for her leadership in developing geriatric nursing as a specialized field of study and practice.
A memorial service for Knowles was held Feb. 17. Her family and friends, as well as College of Nursing faculty and faculty emeritus, attended.
“Dr. Knowles challenged us with her ideas and beliefs, particularly her commitment to the UF College of Nursing,” said Dean Kathleen Ann Long, Ph.D., R.N. “I am confident that she lives on in the rich legacy that she helped us build here at the college.”
Knowles’ role in the developing of the college was extraordinary. She led the college through its first accreditation process and was instrumental in establishing its first master’s degree program in geriatric nursing.
“She was Dean Dorothy Smith’s right-hand person,” said M. Jo Snider, Ed.D., R.N., a College of Nursing associate professor who also was a colleague of Knowles. “They worked really well together as their philosophies were quite congruent. Dr. Knowles taught every undergraduate student who passed through the college doors until about 1973.”
Snider recalls that Knowles’ passion was the care of elderly patients and that she was actively involved in teaching the college’s course in gerontological nursing.
Knowles received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Duke University in 1946, her master’s degree from Columbia University Teacher’s College and her doctorate in education from Santa Barbara University in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Jennet Wilson, associate professor emeritus and one of Knowles’ dearest friends, recalled at the memorial service her memories of her friend, whom she had met when the two attended Duke and whose careers paralleled each other.
“We were more like sisters than friends,” Wilson said. “In our 50 years of friendship, we always kept in touch through regular dinners or lunches, where we felt we could solve the problems of the world. Lois always knew when you needed help and could always be counted on to be by your side.”
Knowles was active in many professional nursing organizations, including the National League for Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America. She served as president of the 10th District of the Florida Nurses Association and helped its parent organization, the American Nurses Association, design the first standards for geriatric nursing practice and define the scope of such practice.
Wilson recalled how Knowles had a great influence in adapting the style of education from the traditional diploma style of nursing to baccalaureate education.
“Since most of us were graduates of diploma programs, Lois educated us to our responsibilities in the university community,” Wilson said. “She was the glue that kept the college together in the early years. She kept us focused on what we were doing and where we were going.”
After her retirement, Knowles remained connected with many members of the college and stayed in tune with events. She recently attended the college’s Heritage Luncheon and lauded Long’s work in continuing to foster the vision of the college shared by Knowles and founding Dean Smith— knowledge-based clinical excellence as the norm for administrators, faculty members, staff nurses and students.
“I don’t want to say goodbye, but rather a thank you to Lois for all she has meant to the faculty and students of the UF College of Nursing,” Wilson said.