History
Organized in 1972
Detroit, Michigan
The National Conclave of Grady Graduate Nurses is an organization of graduates from the Black School of Nursing at Grady memorial Hospital in Atlanta Georgia. Its main purposes are: (1) to preserve the legacy of Mrs. Ludie Andrews, founder of the Municipal Training School for Colored Nurses at Grady Hospital, and (2) to provide scholarships for students in nursing or health related fields. The Municipal Training School for Colored Nurses was later known as Grady Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Honoring the dream of Ludie Andrews, the Organization set goals to: (1) adhere to Health Care and Standards of Nursing Practice and (2) promote programs designed to improve the nursing profession and communities nationwide.
It became evident to Grady Graduates at a 1960 Homecoming in Atlanta, Georgia, that graduates must remember and record their own history while making plans for the future. Events of the homecoming precipitated the meeting of a small group of graduates, presided over by Verdelle Bellamy. The group discussed educational, political, and social problems facing Black Grady Nurses. The outcome of the meeting was shared with Alumni Chapters existing over the United States. In 1972 the Detroit Chapter of Grady Alumni conducted the first national meeting. This meeting was the precursor to the National Conclave of Grady Graduate Nurses and the formal recognition of Ludie Andrews as founder of the Municipal Training School for Colored Nurses and the first Black Registered Nurse in Georgia.
A review of the history of Grady School of Nursing as it evolved from the Municipal Training School for Colored Nurses, revealed a tribute to, and history of Ludie Andrews in the Grady 1951 Year Book, “Tempus Fugit.” In 1960, Inetz Stanley, who had met Ludie Andrews previously, brought her to the Homecoming, and she participated on the program. It was then that Pecola Rodriquez, and many others, learned of the history of Ludie Andrews and the Municipal Training School for Colored Nurses. Following the organization of the National Conclave, Pecola Rodriquez was petitioned to develop the Ludie Andrews Distinguished Service Award as an integral part of the organization’s function. The Award is presented at each national meeting to a deserving Grady Graduate.
“The Conclave” was officially organized in 1972, through the dedicated efforts of the Detroit Chapter of Grady Alumni. Prior to 1972, Grady Alumni met separately in several states. The first National Conclave met at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in Detroit, Michigan, developing the theme ‘Grady Nurses: Where To?” The meeting was presided over by Detroit’s president, Myrtle Monroe Howard, with the Secretary, Jeanette Vaughn Phillips. Mable Stauper, who was known for her dedication to the integration of Black Nurses in the National Professional Organizations and the military services, also assisted. At her suggestion, the members voted to name the organization “The National Conclave of Grady Graduate Nurses” Mable Staupers was a graduate of Freedman Hospital in Washington, DC. Because of her genuine interest and support of Grady Nurses, she became the first Honorary Member of the Conclave. The Conclave convenes biennially in selected cities across the United States. Ann Montague, the first president of the Conclave, has appropriately described the meetings as “Giant Steps.” The fifteenth Giant Step will be taken in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia, where Grady Nurses took their first small steps.