Eleven of the 17 graduates who in June 1943 began a three-year training program in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps gathered recently for a 50th reunion in Bountiful.
The corps was organized to train more registered nurses for service during World War II. The program paid for tuition, books, uniforms, food and living expenses for those enrolled.Graduates from this class and two other classes in September 1946 and December 1946 provided a total of 51 registered nurses. The June 1946 graduates took their training at the old Salt Lake County General Hospital, then located at the present site of the Salt Lake County Government Center. A number of the graduates served in a variety of medical settings during the war.
Those who gathered for the reunion: Elaine Alexander Kemp, Ogden; Beryl Brown Smith, Boise; Norma Dean Carlisle, Port Orford, Ore.; Joyce Gottfredson Johnsen and Norma Harris Ward, both of Salt Lake City; Shannon Shumway Hammond, Pioche, Nev.; Marilyn Hansen Williams, Honolulu; Ruth Hillman Hanson, Pocatello; Madeline Horton Burnham, Littleton, Colo.; Mary Paxman Forbes, North Hills, Calif., and St. George; and LaVon Taylor Russon, Provo.