Investing in the next generation
Rocco and Roxanne Martino
$2.5 million gift will help build a more diverse pipeline of nurses
A $2.5 million gift from Rocco and Roxanne Martino in 2023 will provide additional funding for graduates of Loyola鈥檚 Arrupe College who pursue Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Those students will be known as Martino Scholars.
Arrupe is a two-year program that provides a path to an associate鈥檚 degree for students who face hurdles paying for and succeeding in college. Many are first-generation students, are academically unprepared for college, and are from under-represented communities.
鈥淩oxanne and I believe deeply in the power of education to improve lives. We鈥檙e first-generation college graduates who received a lot of help along the way,鈥� says Rocco Martino (MBA 鈥�78), a 黑料门trustee since 2015. 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful that we can help these students receive an education and training, achieve a degree, and fulfill their aspirations. And鈥攚e hope鈥攇o on to improve Chicago.鈥�
The Martinos鈥� philanthropy will help fund financial aid and support services for Arrupe-to-BSN students, helping 黑料门Nursing move closer toward its goal of building a more diverse pipeline of nurses. Having nurses of color treat patients of color has been shown to improve health outcomes.
The couple鈥檚 gift has the power to expand and improve the futures of the Martino Scholars and strengthen the Chicagoland communities where many are likely to live and work after completing their degrees.
Dean Lorna Finnegan says the Martinos have made an important commitment to students who could one day help reduce health inequities in Chicago.
鈥淭his generous gift from the Martinos will help create educational access for our talented students of high need,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he gift will have profound impacts on our students, their families, and communities for generations to come, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to support students to reach their full potential.鈥�
Barbara Brodie
Nursing pioneer's gift reflects her commitment to teaching
In her commencement address to the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Class of 2010, alumna Barbara Brodie鈥攁lready regarded as a 鈥渓iving legend鈥� within the nursing profession鈥攄elivered a compelling message: Treat your patients with dignity, no matter their background.
鈥淒ignity鈥ignifies the human worth of an individual in the eyes of others and in their own estimation of who they are,鈥� said Brodie, a 1957 graduate of Loyola鈥檚 baccalaureate program. 鈥淒ignity is essential to our very being and enables us to face the world and maintain our place within it.鈥�
That emphasis on the inherent worth of each person鈥� instilled as Brodie cared for the poorest of Chicago鈥檚 poor during her clinicals鈥攇uided her throughout her career as a leading nurse practitioner, historian, and educator.
While Brodie spent decades at the University of Virginia, she maintained close ties to her alma mater until her death in February 2023. She left a large gift to 黑料门Nursing鈥攐ne colleagues say reflects her commitment to teaching the next generation, and to the school鈥檚 guiding principle of service to others.
鈥淏arbara valued her undergraduate education at 黑料门and always spoke enthusiastically about 黑料门whenever she had the opportunity,鈥� says Karen Egenes, 黑料门Nursing associate professor emerita. 鈥淪he said it was important for undergraduates to absolutely love their school and stay attached to it, because it gave them their foundation in nursing.鈥�
Brodie was a pioneer in the nurse practitioner movement, a mission inspired by her work with under-resourced patients鈥攑articularly children鈥攁t Cook County Hospital during her clinicals and early career.
鈥淪he was one of the first people who saw pediatric nurse practitioners as a way to bring health care access to lower-income groups,鈥� Egenes says.
But Brodie, who was named a 鈥淟iving Legend鈥� by the American Academy of Nursing in 2009 and received 黑料门Nursing's Damen Award in 2014 for leadership and service to others, is best known for her work in nursing history. She founded the American Association for the History of Nursing and urged schools to make the profession鈥檚 history a standard part of nursing school curricula.
鈥淪he said that the same issues in health care keep reemerging, and we have to learn from approaches used in the past if we want to move forward,鈥� Egenes says. 鈥淪he believed that the issues nurses identify and deal with over time are the ones that end up shaping health care policy.鈥�
Helen (Sundall) Goyer
Scholarship honors tenacity and grit of 'health care hero'
One of 11 children born to impoverished Norwegian immigrants, Helen Sundall moved to Chicago as a teenager to escape a bleak future on her family鈥檚 Wisconsin farm.
Bright and hardworking, she graduated in 1923 from nursing school and launched her career at the Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium鈥攑utting her life on the line to care for contagious patients with an often deadly lung disease.
鈥淪he was a health care hero,鈥� says her granddaughter, Carol Sullivan, a registered nurse who holds an MBA from the Quinlan School of Business. 鈥淪he put herself at risk to help others and she knew what the consequences could be.鈥�
Later married and adopting the last name of Goyer, the TB nurse鈥檚 family is honoring her legacy as a frontline health care provider with the establishment of the Helen (Sundall) Goyer RN Memorial Scholarship to support first-generation nursing students. The fund also marks the 100th anniversary of her graduation from St. Anne鈥檚 School of Nursing, one of several hospital nursing schools that merged with 黑料门in 1935 to become the first collegiate nursing program in Illinois.
The scholarship was made possible thanks to Goyer鈥檚 late daughter and son-in-law, Mary Esther and George Baskys, who had no children but bequeathed an inheritance to their many nieces and nephews. A number of Goyer鈥檚 descendants have contributed to the fund, which the family sees as a tribute to her compassion and resiliency.
Several family members likened Goyer鈥檚 courageous decision to treat TB patients to the work of nurses nearly 100 years later in COVID wards. Helen Goyer and her husband, Leo Goyer, a TB patient who lost a lung to the disease, paid a steep price for that choice: She eventually developed full-blown TB and spent two years in a treatment facility.
Her confinement splintered her young family, forcing the Goyers to send their five children鈥攊ncluding one with Down syndrome who required full-time care鈥攖o live with relatives or in institutions for several years.
鈥淚t was tough,鈥� says her daughter, Leona Rudolph. She remembered her mother, who died in the 1980s, as someone who personified the best of nursing: 鈥淪he was compassionate, patient, and understanding. We were so proud of her.鈥�
The scholarship honors Goyer鈥檚 tenacity and grit as a first-generation student. It also recognizes Loyola鈥檚 impact on generations of the Goyer clan, several of whom attended the university.
鈥満诹厦舖ade a huge difference in my family鈥檚 trajectory,鈥� says the Goyers鈥� grandson, Jim Rudolph, a Stritch School of Medicine graduate. He said Helen Goyer likely received financial assistance to attend nursing school, and her family wants to extend a helping hand to other aspiring nurses who lack the resources to attend college.
鈥淲e know what a difference obtaining an education and having a stable career can make to future generations,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the motivation behind this scholarship鈥攖o augment someone鈥檚 journey.鈥�
Barbara Brodie
Rocco and Roxanne Martino
$2.5 million gift will help build a more diverse pipeline of nurses
A $2.5 million gift from Rocco and Roxanne Martino in 2023 will provide additional funding for graduates of Loyola鈥檚 Arrupe College who pursue Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Those students will be known as Martino Scholars.
Arrupe is a two-year program that provides a path to an associate鈥檚 degree for students who face hurdles paying for and succeeding in college. Many are first-generation students, are academically unprepared for college, and are from under-represented communities.
鈥淩oxanne and I believe deeply in the power of education to improve lives. We鈥檙e first-generation college graduates who received a lot of help along the way,鈥� says Rocco Martino (MBA 鈥�78), a 黑料门trustee since 2015. 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful that we can help these students receive an education and training, achieve a degree, and fulfill their aspirations. And鈥攚e hope鈥攇o on to improve Chicago.鈥�
The Martinos鈥� philanthropy will help fund financial aid and support services for Arrupe-to-BSN students, helping 黑料门Nursing move closer toward its goal of building a more diverse pipeline of nurses. Having nurses of color treat patients of color has been shown to improve health outcomes.
The couple鈥檚 gift has the power to expand and improve the futures of the Martino Scholars and strengthen the Chicagoland communities where many are likely to live and work after completing their degrees.
Dean Lorna Finnegan says the Martinos have made an important commitment to students who could one day help reduce health inequities in Chicago.
鈥淭his generous gift from the Martinos will help create educational access for our talented students of high need,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he gift will have profound impacts on our students, their families, and communities for generations to come, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to support students to reach their full potential.鈥�
Barbara Brodie
Nursing pioneer's gift reflects her commitment to teaching
In her commencement address to the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Class of 2010, alumna Barbara Brodie鈥攁lready regarded as a 鈥渓iving legend鈥� within the nursing profession鈥攄elivered a compelling message: Treat your patients with dignity, no matter their background.
鈥淒ignity鈥ignifies the human worth of an individual in the eyes of others and in their own estimation of who they are,鈥� said Brodie, a 1957 graduate of Loyola鈥檚 baccalaureate program. 鈥淒ignity is essential to our very being and enables us to face the world and maintain our place within it.鈥�
That emphasis on the inherent worth of each person鈥� instilled as Brodie cared for the poorest of Chicago鈥檚 poor during her clinicals鈥攇uided her throughout her career as a leading nurse practitioner, historian, and educator.
While Brodie spent decades at the University of Virginia, she maintained close ties to her alma mater until her death in February 2023. She left a large gift to 黑料门Nursing鈥攐ne colleagues say reflects her commitment to teaching the next generation, and to the school鈥檚 guiding principle of service to others.
鈥淏arbara valued her undergraduate education at 黑料门and always spoke enthusiastically about 黑料门whenever she had the opportunity,鈥� says Karen Egenes, 黑料门Nursing associate professor emerita. 鈥淪he said it was important for undergraduates to absolutely love their school and stay attached to it, because it gave them their foundation in nursing.鈥�
Brodie was a pioneer in the nurse practitioner movement, a mission inspired by her work with under-resourced patients鈥攑articularly children鈥攁t Cook County Hospital during her clinicals and early career.
鈥淪he was one of the first people who saw pediatric nurse practitioners as a way to bring health care access to lower-income groups,鈥� Egenes says.
But Brodie, who was named a 鈥淟iving Legend鈥� by the American Academy of Nursing in 2009 and received 黑料门Nursing's Damen Award in 2014 for leadership and service to others, is best known for her work in nursing history. She founded the American Association for the History of Nursing and urged schools to make the profession鈥檚 history a standard part of nursing school curricula.
鈥淪he said that the same issues in health care keep reemerging, and we have to learn from approaches used in the past if we want to move forward,鈥� Egenes says. 鈥淪he believed that the issues nurses identify and deal with over time are the ones that end up shaping health care policy.鈥�
Helen (Sundall) Goyer
Scholarship honors tenacity and grit of 'health care hero'
One of 11 children born to impoverished Norwegian immigrants, Helen Sundall moved to Chicago as a teenager to escape a bleak future on her family鈥檚 Wisconsin farm.
Bright and hardworking, she graduated in 1923 from nursing school and launched her career at the Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium鈥攑utting her life on the line to care for contagious patients with an often deadly lung disease.
鈥淪he was a health care hero,鈥� says her granddaughter, Carol Sullivan, a registered nurse who holds an MBA from the Quinlan School of Business. 鈥淪he put herself at risk to help others and she knew what the consequences could be.鈥�
Later married and adopting the last name of Goyer, the TB nurse鈥檚 family is honoring her legacy as a frontline health care provider with the establishment of the Helen (Sundall) Goyer RN Memorial Scholarship to support first-generation nursing students. The fund also marks the 100th anniversary of her graduation from St. Anne鈥檚 School of Nursing, one of several hospital nursing schools that merged with 黑料门in 1935 to become the first collegiate nursing program in Illinois.
The scholarship was made possible thanks to Goyer鈥檚 late daughter and son-in-law, Mary Esther and George Baskys, who had no children but bequeathed an inheritance to their many nieces and nephews. A number of Goyer鈥檚 descendants have contributed to the fund, which the family sees as a tribute to her compassion and resiliency.
Several family members likened Goyer鈥檚 courageous decision to treat TB patients to the work of nurses nearly 100 years later in COVID wards. Helen Goyer and her husband, Leo Goyer, a TB patient who lost a lung to the disease, paid a steep price for that choice: She eventually developed full-blown TB and spent two years in a treatment facility.
Her confinement splintered her young family, forcing the Goyers to send their five children鈥攊ncluding one with Down syndrome who required full-time care鈥攖o live with relatives or in institutions for several years.
鈥淚t was tough,鈥� says her daughter, Leona Rudolph. She remembered her mother, who died in the 1980s, as someone who personified the best of nursing: 鈥淪he was compassionate, patient, and understanding. We were so proud of her.鈥�
The scholarship honors Goyer鈥檚 tenacity and grit as a first-generation student. It also recognizes Loyola鈥檚 impact on generations of the Goyer clan, several of whom attended the university.
鈥満诹厦舖ade a huge difference in my family鈥檚 trajectory,鈥� says the Goyers鈥� grandson, Jim Rudolph, a Stritch School of Medicine graduate. He said Helen Goyer likely received financial assistance to attend nursing school, and her family wants to extend a helping hand to other aspiring nurses who lack the resources to attend college.
鈥淲e know what a difference obtaining an education and having a stable career can make to future generations,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the motivation behind this scholarship鈥攖o augment someone鈥檚 journey.鈥�