In memory

Jenna Hernan

Jenna Nicole Hernan 19AMSN of Riverside, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2019. Hernan died two days after the vehicle she was driving was hit during a high-speed car chase. She had moved to Riverside to join her fiancé, Holland Stewart 17L, and begin her nurse-midwifery career after graduating from Emory last May. Her sudden loss touched students, faculty, and staff throughout the School of Nursing.

“Jenna wanted to pursue a career in midwifery and family practice so that she could care for women who were marginalized and disadvantaged within the health care system,” says Alexis Dunn PhD CNM, Hernan’s faculty adviser. “She was passionate about health disparities and care of minority populations. Her interests stemmed from her experiences growing up in New York as well as her interpersonal relationships.”

Hernan grew up in the South Bronx, where in high school she organized a diverse group of 15 friends who called themselves the “CCs” (short for “cultural casserole”). Concerned that a new student would feel left out, Jenna invited her to join her volleyball team, and the CCs expanded to 16. “She was always concerned about other people,” says her mother, Maria Hernan. “She wanted everyone to embrace and accept themselves.”

At Hunter College, Hernan majored in psychology and was accepted into the prestigious Thomas Hunter Honors Program. She also volunteered as an instructor with the Peer Health Exchange, which provided health education to students at underserved high schools. Her teaching experience, and a brief hospital stay for minor surgery, piqued her interest in women’s health. After graduating from Hunter, Hernan worked two years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before entering the family nurse practitioner/nurse-midwifery program at Emory.

She excelled as a student once again. When her midwifery clinicals proved especially challenging, her friends provided a morale boost, as she often did for them.

“Jenna had the best balance of anyone,” says Tara Noorani 18MSN. “She studied hard, but she made time for fun things. Maintaining that balance was a rare thing.”

“Fun things” included visits to Hernan’s favorite coffee shop and walking her dog, Kenley, a friendly 95-pound mutt, with Sarah Warsaw 18MSN and her 13-pound dog Molly.

The outings provided a respite to help Hernan complete the 20 deliveries required to qualify for licensing as a nurse-midwife. She graduated as planned in May 2019 and passed all her boards.

“Jenna loved Emory. It gave her the opportunity to come to Atlanta and meet such dear, beautiful people,” says her mother Maria. “I was so proud of her when she graduated.”

1940s

Frances Nichols Gardner 49BSN of Peachtree City, Ga., on Feb. 13, 2019. She practiced nursing in south Florida until the death of her husband, Eugene. In 1990, she moved to Tavares, Fla., to care for her mother and then later to Peachtree City. She is survived by two sons, a brother, and two sisters.

1950s

Mona Scarborough Clayton 52BSN of Augusta, Ga., on Dec. 22, 2019, at 88. Clayton had a long and fulfilling career as a psychiatric nurse for the Veteran’s Administration. She also had a beautiful voice and sang soprano with the St. Paul’s Choir and the Augusta Choral Society and was part of the team that launched Tuesday’s Music Live Concert Series in 1987. While studying at Emory, she met her former husband, Marcus M. Clayton Jr. 55C 56L 67PHD. And although they divorced, they lovingly raised four daughters together and maintained a close bond. Survivors include four children, nine grandchildren, and two sisters.

Barbra Rucker Jones 53BSN of Columbia, S.C., on Nov. 17, 2019. Jones worked as a surgical nurse at Orange Memorial Hospital in Orlando, Fla. After moving to Columbia, S.C. in 1962, she worked at Providence Hospital and taught health occupations and licensed practical nursing for the Richland County Schools. She loved spending time at their Edisto Beach vacation home, was active in the Ladies Golf Association at the Spring Valley Country Club, was a long-time member of the Saraband Dance Club, and belonged to two bridge clubs and two hand and foot clubs. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, C. Robert Jones Jr., three daughters, five grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Jacqueline Sapp Tiller 53BSN 62MN of Lyons, Ga., on July 8, 2019, at 94. Prior to attending Emory, she earned a RN diploma from the Crawford W. Long School of Nursing. She served in World War II as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. Tiller was a nursing professor at the College of Coastal Georgia and South Georgia College. She served as chair of the Division of Nursing at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for many years, and taught the Reach to Recovery Program for the American Cancer Society. Tiller is survived by two children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

JoAnn Gayler King 56BSN of Monmouth, Ore., on Dec. 18, 2019, at 85. King was employed as a registered nurse. Her first husband, John E. Grund, died on July, 8, 1978. She married David C. King on July 16, 1983 and they moved to Monmouth, Ore., in 1988. They were recognized for their volunteer contributions with the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce First Citizen Award in 2003. King is survived by three children, three step-children, two brothers, 16 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Caroline Saunders Wallace 56BSN of Santa Rosa, Fla., on Sept. 29, 2019, at 94. Wallace studied nursing at Georgia Baptist School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, and the University of Michigan. Wallace taught nursing at Vanderbilt University, the University of Tennessee, and Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla. In 1970, she moved to Seagrove Beach, Fla., where she enjoyed painting, dogs, garden clubs, faceting and gemstones.

Joan Hartley Lehnherr 58BSN of Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 31, 2019. Lehnherr was a registered nurse who retired from Arthritis Associates. She is survived by two daughters.

1960s

Laura Gewecke Maloof 61BSN of Cumberland, Md., on June 14, 2019. Maloof started her nursing career as a circulating nurse at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. She became a nursing instructor at Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Cumberland before serving as a nursing instructor at Allegany College of Maryland. She was active in her church as well as area clubs and service organizations such as GFWC Cumberland Women’s Civic Club, Women’s Sport Club, and Re Temple 118 Daughters of the Nile. Survivors include her husband, Donald Maloof, a daughter, and a sister.

Janet Adams McPherson 63Ox 66BSN of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 9, 2019. After college, McPherson served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy for four years. She then worked as a registered nurse on 5 West at Kennestone Hospital, retiring in 1995. She enjoyed traveling, painting, reading and working on genealogy. Most of all, she enjoyed her family. She and her husband, Pat McPherson, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in December 2018. She is survived by her husband, three children, five grandchildren, and a brother.

1970s

Patricia L. Muar 72MN of Tallahassee, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2019. Muar received a BS degree in nursing from Florida State University and a PhD degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She taught for many years at Tallahassee Community College. She and her late husband, John Buckley, were advocates for many causes that benefited their community and for the greater good of all. Survivors include a brother and his family.

Norma Jeanne Grenfell 73BSN of Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 19, 2019, at 68. After graduation, Grenfell was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and proudly retired as a captain after 37 years in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps in 2010. Grenfell was also a nurse consultant for 25 years with the law firm of Gordon and Rees in San Francisco. She earned a MBA degree in health services management from Golden Gate University. She and her son, Eric, shared a love of theatre performances and she volunteered for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival which took them to Ashland, Ore., where she moved in 2010 to work for Harry & David as a nurse manager before retiring. She enjoyed hiking and camping in Alaska, loved her animals, and volunteered for the Jackson County Animal Shelter. She is survived by her son, a brother, a nephew, and a great-niece and a great-nephew.

1980s

Marlot Wilson Wigginton 82MN of Louisville, Ky., on Oct. 26, 2019, at 71. She worked as a registered nurse in critical care at Norton Hospital and Jewish Hospital, both in Louisville. She recently taught nursing at the University of Louisville and Spalding University, and was a member of numerous nursing societies and associations. Wigginton is survived by a brother, a niece, and a nephew.

Margaret A. Riley 86MN of Atlanta on July 29, 2019, after a battle with cancer. Riley began her nursing career at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a head nurse manager after completing a BSN degree at Saint Louis University in 1973. While completing her master of nursing degree at Emory, she was a nurse case manager at Hospice Atlanta. Riley was director of the Oncology Program at Saint Joseph’s Hospital until 2007, worked with the Oncology Palliative Care program at Grady Health System from 2007-2010, and then at the Atlanta VA Medical Center from 2011 until her retirement in 2018. She completed a Family Nurse Practitioner degree and palliative care certification followed by a Doctor of Nursing Practice in nursing palliative care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Survivors include two brothers, a sister, and many other extended family members.