Mary
Douglas Clark
Jan, I finally got the chance to sit down and write my biography. Can you imagine condensing 40 years into a mere 2 pages? Well, here it goes…
Forty years ago, I sat at our commencement exercise pondering how I would reach my goal of becoming a professional nurse. Little did I know, in achieving this goal I would take many detours. I was first employed at Imperial Hospital as a Nurse Attendant. After two years there, I was accepted into Brigham Young University’s nursing program. On my way to Utah, however, I stopped to visit my sister. That detour turned into a twenty-six year stay in Los Angeles.
While living in Los Angeles, I enrolled in a license Vocational Nursing (LVN) School and obtained my LVN License. I worked in many hospitals. Two of my favorites were located in Beverly Hills and Hollywood. There, I took care of celebrities and movie producers who recommended me for acting positions. Unfortunately, my integrity and my knowledge of the hardships of starving actors prompted me to decline the many offers. I did, however, contribute to many laugh tracks and studio audience shots during my stay in Hollywood.
In time, I became bored by my LVN responsibilities and enrolled in junior college to study Sociology. My new objective was to become a social worker. I soon saw, however, how large bureaucracies and welfare rights organizations could burn out a social worker and decided that to return to my goal of becoming a professional nurse. I completed my A.A in Liberal Arts/ Sociology, and had planned to transfer to Cal State University, Los Angeles, to pursue a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Guess what! I detoured again. This time I launched into marriage and family life. For years married life went along nicely, although it was a tremendously consuming effort. I worked two days a week as an LVN, became a Den and Basket mom, drove for band rehearsal, became a Sunday school teacher, and was my husband’s special lady.
With family life going well, I thought it would be nice to go on with my goal of becoming a professional nurse. With much discussion on this matter, juggling family activities, reducing my LVN employment to one day a week, my husband and I decided that transferring to Cal State, as a part time nursing student would work. While studying at Cal State, I continued to strive at achieving a good marriage, but in my senior year in Nursing my marriage suffered and eventually ended in divorce. My children and I managed quite well, I located a suitable place to live, continued to volunteer as a Den and Basket mom, drove to band rehearsals, and continued as a Sunday school teacher. In other words, I “kept on keeping on.”
To increase my income, I launched a successful business as a pillow-maker, but after two years, I found I could not continue with it and continue in my nursing studies. I dropped the business and completed my degree in Nursing and also earned an Adult Teaching Credential. From there I obtained a teaching position at Sybil Brand Institute (prison) for women. I taught Business, Consumer and General Education, GED preparation, and Vital English courses. While teaching the inmates, I too was enlightened by them on issues I was unaware of. Even though my teaching became more challenging, I found time to play softball with the inmates, and inspired them to complete their High School Diplomas, and to acquire their GED’s. Unfortunately, the work became dangerous as the fighting between inmates escalated and I decided to search for a new career.
I submitted my resume to many hospitals and landed a staff nurse position in a mental health hospital. Surprised, I quickly discovered that it was hard to distinguish the staff from the patients. Since that experience, I have worked in many hospitals and health facilities.
Currently, I work in the field of Public Health and have been for the past 24 years. Positions that I have held were Public Health Nurse, Project Director, and my current position, District Public Health Nursing Supervisor. Along the way I earned my Masters of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge, received many awards, plaques, and acknowledgements from the Los Angles County Board of Supervisors, church and community organizations, and schools in appreciation of my many achievements and contributions. In 1998, I received Congressional Recognition from the 33rd Congressional Congress for the quality of health rendered to Los Angeles Angelinos. My most rewarding achievement, however, has been observing the productivity of my children, who all attended college, two became teachers, and the other an Electrical Technician. They are all happily married, and from them I have received, eight healthy, wonderful grand children.
A little over a year ago I moved, from West Covina, where I have lived for the past 11 years, to Hemet, California in preparation for my golden years. Being in good health, I look forward to not signing in at work and waking up early, writing my memoirs, traveling, and volunteering as a medical missionary here and abroad.