Faith S. Hawkins Collection
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Oral history interview with Faith Sparks Hawkins
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Primarily documents Faith Sparks Hawkins's childhood in Wilkes County, North Carolina, during the Depression; her service with the Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II; and her family and nursing career after the war. Hawkins describes her childhood in the 1930s, including her mother sewing their clothes, sometimes from feed sacks; their social life and entertainment; and youth programs at her Baptist church. She also recalls hearing her grandmother talk about taking care of patients during the 1918 flu epidemic. " Hawkins then discusses nursing school at H.F. Long Hospital in Statesville, North Carolina, in the mid-1940s. She comments on the strict rules in the dormitory; spending six months in Washington, D.C., for pediatrics and obstetrics work; shift schedules; being given a lot of responsibility for patients; social life and dating; Cadet Nurse Corps hospital and dress uniforms; and her favorite songs. She also recalls having reunions with her Cadet Nurse Corps graduating class for more than fifty years. " Hawkins also describes her husband's medical career and their return to Wilkes County; her continued nursing education and nursing career; her children and their careers; the impact of the Cadet Nurse Corps and nursing on her life; and her love of nursing.
