Former Nursing Dean Mereness dies at 80

Dorothy Mereness, a former dean of the Nursing School and a leader in the field of psychiatric nursing, died Saturday at the age of 80 after a brief illness. Mereness was forced to retire as head of Nursing in 1976 and was immediately succeeded by now-outgoing Dean Claire Fagin as the school's top administrator. Born in Kearney, Missouri, Mereness was first an elementary school teacher before becoming a nurse, and therefore got a late start in the field, Associate Nursing Professor Neville Strumpf said last night. "This year would have been the fiftieth anniversary of her graduation from nursing school," Strumpf said, remembering that Mereness always "wished that she had [had] more years to give to the profession." Mereness, in addition to her roles at the University, worked at some of the nation's top nursing schools including the University of Pittsburgh, Boston University and New York University. Mereness was a "magnificent writer," Fagin said last night, and published 45 articles and books, including a textbook used in most undergraduate programs that made her name "a household word in nursing." Mereness worked diligently towards several causes until about a year and a half ago, friends said, when she decided to retire from all her pursuits. In 1976, while the University was searching for her replacement, Mereness said she felt the University did not treat the Nursing School as a priority and that competition for funding was difficult. "Every dean has to fight very hard for the integrity of her school," she told The Daily Pennsylvanian at the time. "A faint-hearted dean wouldn't survive." Mereness' colleagues praised her contributions to nursing and agreed that she will be missed by all who knew her. "We are very sad," Fagin said. "She was really an outstanding person . . . She kept the school of nursing alive." "I think Dr. Mereness was a true original in nursing," Strumpf added. A memorial service to take place at the University is currently being planned for the end of May at which Mereness' friends from the University community will speak. The Philadelphia Inquirer contributed to this story.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.