Bidspirit auction | Graduation photo of the School

Graduation photo of the School of Nursing at Cornell University – 1944 - Graduation photo of 61 students from the Cornell University–New York Hospital School of Nursing – upstate New York, Class of 1944. The graduation photo presents 61 graduates arranged alphabetically, from Beattie in the top left corner to Zelechowska in the bottom right. The Class of 1944 completed their studies at the height of World War II. Many were recruited directly into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps or the Navy, and some participated in the Cadet Nurse Corps program, designed to rapidly train nurses to fill shortages in both military and civilian hospitals. Studies took place at the New York Hospital Medical Center. The Class of 1944 is considered a “heroic” class in Cornell’s history. Nearly all the women in the photo joined the U.S. Navy even before their graduation ceremony or were sent to run New York Hospital almost on their own, as many of the registered nurses and physicians had already been dispatched to the front. They formed the backbone of the American healthcare system during its most critical moments. The surnames of the young women, most of European origin, reflect the demographic makeup of New York at the time. Notably, the final name on the list, Zelechowska, represents the wave of Eastern European (Polish) immigrants who, within a single generation, integrated into elite American institutions such as Cornell. Size: 36×28 cm. Tears at the top of the photograph (repaired from the back) and on the right side. Good condition.