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Rita Reis Wieczorek Collection

Papers of Rita Reis Wieczorek, EdD, RN, FAAN, a distinguished nurse educator and researcher who has worked throughout her career to promote the advancement of the nursing profession and nursing education in New York State. Over the course of her career, she served as Dean of the College of Nursing at SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn, as a faculty member at the Cornell University-New York Hospital School of Nursing, and as Director of Education, Standards and Research at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. She has also been active in Districts 13 and 14 of NYSNA, as well as with Nurses House.

 


Index code: MC16

Finding Guide:

Finding Aid for the Rita Reis Wieczorek Collection, 1956-2005   (MC16)

Finding Aid compiled by Elizabeth Kerr, MSIS(c) Graduate Student, University at Albany, SUNY March 2014

 

VOLUME: ~7.5 cubic feet
ACQUISITION: The items in this collection were donated to the Foundation of New York State Nurses Bellevue Alumnae Center for Nursing History by Rita Reis Wieczorek, EdD, RN, FAAN. Most of the items were donated in 1998, with the addition of one folder in 2005.
ACCESS: This collection is open to the public by appointment.
COPYRIGHT: Please consult the repository for information about duplication or publishing of any materials from this collection.
PREFERRED
CITATION:
Rita Reis Wieczorek Collection, 1956-2005 (MC16), Bellevue Alumnae Center for Nursing History, Foundation of New York State Nurses,
Guilderland, NY.

Biographical Sketch

Rita Reis Wieczorek, EdD, RN, FAAN, is a distinguished nurse educator and researcher who worked throughout her career to promote the advancement of the nursing profession and nursing education in New York State. Wieczorek received her BS in Nursing from the College of Mount St. Joseph in 1964. She continued her education, earning her MA in Parent-Child Nursing from New York University in 1966 and her EdD in Curriculum and Instruction from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1975. Over the course of her career, Wieczorek served as a faculty member at the Cornell University-New York Hospital School of Nursing, as Dean of the College of Nursing at SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn, and as Director of Education, Standards, and Research at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. She edited and contributed to a variety of nursing publications and co-authored two textbooks: A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children: Health Care from Birth through Adolescence (1981) and Maternal-Child Health Policy: A Nursing Perspective (1991). Wieczorek was also a leader in several professional organizations including Districts 13 and 14 of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), Nurses House, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association (MARNA). She received numerous awards for her accomplishments. Rita Wieczorek and her husband Robert are former residents of Scarsdale, NY. They have two children: Robert and Randa.

Scope and Contents Note

The Rita Reis Wieczorek Collection (MC16) consists of six series: Education, Career, Publications, Professional Organizations, Awards and Certificates, and Personal. Most of the materials are in paper format and cover subjects such as Nursing and Nursing Education. There are copies of two textbooks on Pediatric Nursing and Maternal-Child Nursing co-authored by Wieczorek in 1981 and 1991 as well as over fifty other nursing-related books to which she referred or contributed. The collection also contains correspondence and photographs related to Wieczorek’s professional and personal activities, most of which were created between 1972 and 1997. A large variety of other materials includes diplomas, yearbooks, alumni materials, drafts of publications, journal articles, and awards.

Series Descriptions

There are six genre-based series in the Rita Reis Wieczorek Collection. The first two series, Education and Career are ordered chronologically. The following series are listed by their relevance to Wieczorek’s nursing career. Arrangement within each series is typically chronological with several exceptions. In Series 3 the types of publications are grouped together. The books found in Series 2, 3, and 6 are ordered alphabetically by author’s last name. Throughout the collection there are slips of paper with information transcribed from notes included by Wieczorek when she donated the materials.

Series 1: Education, 1956-1998

This series documents Wieczorek’s educational accomplishments, ranging from elementary school to the pursuit of continuing education and involvement with alumni associations. Items include diplomas, yearbooks, and Wieczorek’s 1975 dissertation, Attitudes of Baccalaureate Nursing Students Toward Dying Children. There is also information about the Alumni Association Outstanding Career Achievement award she received from the College of Mount St. Joseph and agendas for many conferences, at some of which she was a presenter.

Series 2: Career, 1970-1997

This series consists of materials related to Wieczorek’s career in nursing and nursing education. Items include yearbooks, curricula vitae, correspondence, and international teaching materials and souvenirs from a 1983 consultation in China. Over thirty nursing reference books are included, covering topics such as Patient-Centered Care, Maternal Health Services, and Nursing Education. Wieczorek contributed to several of these publications (designated in the Box and Folder List by *). Additional books which Wieczorek edited or contributed to are located in Series 3: Publications. Several of the reference books in the list are followed by a ^ to indicate that they were originally contained in a box labeled “8 books from Rita’s Columbia-Presbyterian Office.”

Series 3: Publications, 1974-1998

This series is comprised of books and journals to which Wieczorek contributed or edited as well as the two textbooks she co-authored with Janet Natapoff: A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children: Health Care from Birth through Adolescence (1981) and Maternal-Child Health Policy: A Nursing Perspective (1991). Additional books which Wieczorek contributed to are found in Series 2: Career. Journals include American Journal of Nursing and Nursing & Health Care. The publications cover subjects such as Nursing Education, Forensic Psychiatry, and Electronic Health Records.

Series 4: Professional Organizations, 1986-2005, bulk 1989-1994

This series documents Wieczorek’s involvement with professional nursing organizations. Items include publications, meeting agendas and minutes, conference programs, correspondence, financial records, photographs, and campaign materials. There are materials related to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association’s 1991 dissolution due to financial constraints. Wieczorek was serving as President of MARNA and, therefore, facilitated this process. There are also materials related to Districts 13 and 14 of the New York State Nurses Association.

Series 5: Awards and Certificates, 1973-1998, bulk 1983-1992

This series contains awards and certificates received by Wieczorek. Many are from the New York State Nurses Association. The formats of the awards are varied including loose papers, framed papers, and plaques.

Series 6: Personal, 1956-2003, bulk 1960-1998

This series consists mainly of photographs, correspondence, newspapers, and books related to Wieczorek’s personal life. The photographs cover a wide span of years; however, many are undated. Wieczorek’s interests included following the activities of President Kennedy, supporting her husband Robert as a member of the Republican Presidential Task Force, and enjoying the family’s boat – Magnum Opus.

Box and Folder List

 

BOX AND FOLDER LIST

Series 1: Education, 1956-1998

Box 1:

Folder:
1. Diploma, St. Mary School (elementary), Columbus, OH, 1956
2. Seton Memories (freshman yearbook), Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1958
3. Seton Memories (junior yearbook), Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1959
4. Seton Memories (senior yearbook), Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1960
5. Diploma, Robert Ronald Wieczorek, St. Mary High School, Warren, OH, 1960;
Diploma, Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1960
6. Goodnow, Minnie. Nursing History, 8th edition, 1949
7. Commencement bulletin, New York University, New York, NY, 1966
8. Diploma, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, College of Mount St. Joseph, 1964;
Dissertation materials – proposal, incomplete draft, and unbound copy, 1974-1975
9. Dissertation (bound): Attitudes of Baccalaureate Nursing Students Toward Dying Children, Teachers College, Columbia  University, 1975
10. Second (unbound) copy of dissertation, 1975
11. Alumni materials – Seton Alumnae Association, 1994-1995;
Nursing Education Alumni Association, Columbia University. Teachers College, 1988-1997;
College of Mount St. Joseph (see actual Alumni Association Outstanding Career Achievement award in Box 6, Folder 7 and     photograph in Box 9, Folder 2), 1992-1998, 2004
12. Proceedings of the 2nd Eastern Conference on Nursing Research, 1976
13. Readings in Nursing Research: Selected Papers from the 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987 Isabel Maitland Stewart Conferences on Research in Nursing, 1988
14. Continuing education – Conferences and certifications, 1976-1998 [non inclusive], bulk 1992-1998
Series 2: Career, 1970-1997
15. Cornell University. New York Hospital, School of Nursing yearbook, 1972
16. Gift from Cornell University colleague, South American textile, circa 1972
17. Biographical data – includes curricula vitae and documentation of conference presentations and publications, Cornell         University through Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York, N.Y.), 1975-1982
18. Dissertation (bound): Marrocco, Geraldine Fahy. The Relationship Between a Sense of Powerlessness in Registered           Nurses and Their Participation in Citizen Political Activities, Hunter College, 1981
19. Second (unbound) copy of dissertation, 1981;
Hunter College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine materials, 1979-1984 [non inclusive]
20. International teaching materials (including passport) and souvenirs, China and Russia, 1970-1987 [non inclusive]
Oversize folder (stored on top of Box 1):Includes items from multiple series
21. Series 1: Education materials – Graduating class composite photograph, Seton High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1960;
Diploma and photograph, Master of Arts in Parent-Child Nursing, New York University, New York, NY, 1966;
Diploma, Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1975;
Certificate, Pediatric Nurse Associate Program, The New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, 1976-           1977
Series 2: Convocation photograph College of Nursing at SUNY Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn, 1989
Box 2:
Folder:
1. State University of New York. Health Science Center at Brooklyn [see also Convocation photograph, 1989 in Box 1, Folder   15], 1986, 1991, 1995
2. State University of New York. Health Science Center at Brooklyn nursing yearbook, 1990
3. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 1992-1994
4. Professional correspondence – also includes materials related to Series 3 and 4, 1977-1997 [non inclusive], bulk 1992-1997
5. [Pinned on paper] Cornell University. New York Hospital, faculty name tag, 1975;
Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York, N.Y.) pins, 1985-1986, undated
6. Denver Developmental Screening Test kit, Hunter College, 1979
7. Slides – 8 labeled “Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center,” others unlabeled (also see Box 9, Folder 1 for photographs
from Columbia-Presbyterian), undated
8. Slides – unlabeled, undated
Reference books:
9. Baer, Ellen D. Editor’s Notes for “Nursing in America: A History of Social Reform”: A Video Documentary, 1990
10. Barnum, Barbara Stevens. Writing and Getting Published: A Primer for Nurses, 1993 [2 copies]
11. Blancett, Suzanne Smith and Dominick L. Flarey, (eds).Reengineering Nursing and Health Care: The Handbook for
Organizational Transformation, 1995^
12. Cahall, Jean Brim. Pictorial History of the College of Nursing & Health, 1989
13. Chabon, Irwin. Awake and Aware: Participating in Childbirth through Psychoprophylaxis, 1966
14. Clayton, Gloria M. and Pamela A. Baj,(eds). Review of Research in Nursing Education, volume 3, 1990
15. Clifford, Joyce C. and Kathy J. Horvath, (eds). Advancing Professional Nursing Practice: Innovations at Boston’s Beth    
Israel Hospital, 1990^
16. Fagin, Claire M. Nursing Leadership Global Strategies: International Nursing Development for the 21st Century, 1990
17. Gaffney, Donna A. The Seasons of Grief: Helping Children Grow through Loss, 1988
18. Gerdin, Ulla, Marianne Tallberg, and Paul Wainwright, (eds). Nursing Informatics: The Impact of Nursing Knowledge 
on Health Care Informatics, 1997 [2 copies, one still shrink-wrapped]*^
19. Gerteis, Margaret, Susan Edgman-Levitan, Jennifer Daily, and Thomas L. Delbanco, (eds). Through the Patient’s Eyes: 
Understanding and Promoting Patient-Centered Care, 1993^
20. Goertzen, Irma E., (ed).Differentiating Nursing Practice into the Twenty-First Century: Selected Papers from the 18th 
 Annual Meeting and 1990 Conference of the American Academy of Nursing, 1991
21. Henry, Beverly M., (ed). Practice and Inquiry for Nursing Administration: Intradisciplinary and Interdisciplinary 
Perspectives, 1992
22. Isaacs, Stephen L. and James R. Knickman, (eds). To Improve Health and Health Care, 1997: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Anthology, 1997^
23. Jensen, Margaret Duncan, Ralph C. Benson, and Irene M. Bobak. Maternity Care: The Nurse and the Family, 2nd
edition, 1981^
24. Ketefian, Shaké,(ed). Perspectives on Nursing Leadership: Issues and Research, 1981
25. La Monica, Elaine Lynne. Management in Nursing: An Experiential Approach That Makes Theory Work for You, 1990
26. Mayer, Gloria Gilbert, Mary Jane Madden, and Eunice Lawrenz, (eds). Patient Care Delivery Models, 1990^
27. National League for Nursing. Perspectives in Nursing – 1985-1987: Based on Presentations at the Seventeenth NLN 
Biennial Convention, 1985
Box 3:
Folder:
1. Nowak, Janie Brown. The Forty-Seven Hundred: The Story of the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, 1981
2. Parsons, Mickey L. and Carolyn L. Murdaugh. Patient-Centered Care: A Model for Restructuring, 1994^
3. Pillitteri, Adele. Child Health Nursing: Care of the Growing Family, 2nd edition, 1981^
4. Pritchard, Jack A. and Paul C. MacDonald, (eds). Williams Obstetrics, 16th edition, 1980
5. Rusakov, V. I. Book on urethra strictures (Russian language), 1987
6. Safriet, Barbara J. Yale Journal on Regulation, 9 (2). “Health Care Dollars and Regulatory Sense: The Role of Advanced Practice Nursing,” 1992
7. Schorr, Thelma and Anne Zimmerman. Making Choices, Taking Chances: Nurse Leaders Tell Their Stories, 1988
8. Sherman, Jacques L. and Sylvia Kleiman Fields. Guide to Patient Evaluation: History Taking, Physical Examination, and the Nursing Process, 5th edition, 1988*
9. Smith, Elizabeth Dorsey. Abortion: Health Care Perspectives, 1982 [2 copies]*
10. Smith, Elizabeth Dorsey,(ed). Maternity Care: A Guide for Patient Education, 1981
11. Smith, Elizabeth Dorsey, (ed). Women’s Health Care: A Guide for Patient Education, 1981
12. Silverman, Benjamin K. and Anthony Waddell,(eds). Report of the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Children with HIV Infection and Their Families, 1987
13. Valiga, Theresa M. and Helen J. Streubert. The Nurse Educator in Academia: Strategies for Success, 1991*
14. Ward, Mary Jane and Mark E. Fetler. Instruments for Use in Nursing Education Research, 1979
Series 3: Publications, 1974-1998
15. Correspondence regarding textbook – A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children, 1976-1980
16. Materials regarding textbook – A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children – including writer’s manual,
prospectus, publishing agreement, permissions, and copyright registration, photographs, 1977-1981, 1987
17. Guestbook from book party for A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children, 1981
Oversize folder (stored on top of Box 3):
18. Contents of disassembled shadow box display for book party for A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children, 1981
Box 4:
Folder:
1. Wieczorek, Rita Reis and Janet Nielson Natapoff. A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children: Health Care from Birth through Adolescence, 1981  [book inscribed with signatures of those who attended the book signing party].
2. Prospectus, outline, and letter to publisher for The Woman, the Childbearer, the Neonate: A Conceptual Approach to Nursing Care, 1981
3. Chapter drafts for The Woman, the Childbearer, the Neonate, circa 1981
4. Publishing standards and agreement, outline, summary, and book reviews for Maternal-Child Health Policy, 1986, 1991
5. Wieczorek, Rita Reis, editor. Power, Politics, and Policy in Nursing. 1985 [2 copies]
6. Textbook preparation [1 of 4] – Maternal-Child Health Policy, Chapters 3, 5 (marked 4), circa 1990
7. Textbook preparation [2 of 4] – “Chapter 8,” circa 1990
8. Textbook preparation [3 of 4] – Maternal-Child Health Policy, Chapter 10, circa 1990
9. Textbook preparation [4 of 4] – “Chapter 12,” circa 1990
10. Natapoff, Janet Nielson and Rita Reis Wieczorek, (eds). Maternal-Child Health Policy: A Nursing Perspective, 1990
Reference books:
11. Burns, Elizabeth M., Arlene Thompson, and Janet K. Ciccone,(eds). An Addictions Curriculum for Nurses and Other 
Helping Professionals: Volume One: The Undergraduate Level, 1993
12. Burns, Elizabeth M., Arlene Thompson, and Janet K. Ciccone, (eds).An Addictions Curriculum for Nurses and Other Helping Professionals: Volume Two: The Graduate Level, 1993
13. Linzer, Norman,(ed). Suicide: The Will to Live vs. the Will to Die, 1984
14. Mirin, Susan Kooperstein, (ed). Teaching Tomorrow’s Nurse: A Nurse Educator Reader, 1980
15. Schoolcraft, Victoria. A Down-to-Earth Approach to Being a Nursing Educator, 1994
16. Sherman, Jacques L. and Sylvia Kleiman Fields. Guide to Patient Evaluation, 2nd edition, 1976
17. Journals (titles beginning A-F) including American Journal of Nursing and Nursing & Health Care, 1974-1998 [non inclusive]
Box 5:
Folder:
1. Journals (titles beginning I-W), 1977-1997 [non inclusive]
2. Articles from various journals, 1980-1997 [non inclusive]
Series 4: Professional Organizations, 1986-2005, bulk 1989-1994
3. Organization materials – American Nurses Association, 1992-1994;
National League for Nursing, 1993;
New York Organization of Nurse Executives, 1994-1995;
New York State Nurses Association. District 13 (see also newsletters in previous folder), 1991-1994;
North East Organization for Nursing, 1992-1994;
Nurses’ Educational Funds, Inc., 1992-1994, 2005;
Nurses House, Inc., 1991-1996
4. Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association, 1986-1990
5. Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association, 1990-1991
6. New York State Nurses Association, 1979, 1991-1993
7. New York State Nurses Association, 1994-1995
8. New York State Nurses Association. District 14, 1992-1996
Series 5: Awards and Certificates, 1973-1998, bulk 1983-1992
9. Paper awards – including American Academy of Nursing fellowship certificate, 1981;
YWCA Academy of Women Achievers, 1990;
Sigma Theta Tau International, 1975, 1987, 1992;
American Heart Association Cardiovascular Nursing Research Award, 1994
10. New York State Nurses Association Certificate of Appreciation (Director at Large), 1983
11. New York State Nurses Association Certificate of Appreciation (Director at Large), 1985
12. New York State Nurses Association Certificate of Appreciation (Treasurer), 1987
13. New York State Nurses Association. Honorary Recognition award, 1991
14. California Pacific Medical Center appreciation award, 1992-1998
Box 6:
Folder:
1. American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics accreditation certificate, 1973
2. Kappa Delta Pi (Honor society) membership certificate, 1975
3. Nightingale Society of Nurses (U.S.) membership award, 1983
4. New York State Nurses Association. District 13 Jane Delano Distinguished Service Award, 1984
5. New York State Nurses Association. District 13 Service Award, 1986
6. New York State Nurses Association Nursing Education Award, 1989
7. College of Mount St. Joseph Alumni Association Outstanding Career Achievement award (see relevant papers in Box 1,
Folder 11 and photograph in Box 9, Folder 2), 1997
8. New York State Nurses Association souvenir, 1997
9. New York State Nurses Association paperweight, undated
Series 6: Personal, 1956-2003, bulk 1960-1998
10. United States flag with certificate and letter from the Republican Presidential Task Force, 1982
11. American Cancer Society award (Robert’s), undated
Box 7:
Folder:
1. The Great East River Bridge, 1883-1983, 1983
2. Family interests including Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.) and Statue of Liberty National Monument (N.Y. and N.J.)
centennial celebration materials, 1983-1997 [non inclusive]
3. Personal correspondence [1 of 2], 1992-1998
4. Personal correspondence [2 of 2], 1992-1998
5. March of Dimes, 2001-2003
6. Large Photographs [see others in Box 9, Folders 4-7], undated
7. [Pinned on paper] Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty Centennial pins, 1983, undated
8. Baldrige, Letitia. Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to Executive Manners, 1985
9. Benyaminov, Meyer R. Bukharian Jews (Russian language), 1983
10. Duncan, Roger F. and John P. Ware. A Cruising Guide to the New England Coast: Including the Hudson River, Long Island Sound, and the Coast of New Brunswick, 1979
11. Howard, Clive. The Goose from Scarsdale, 1974
12. Huste, Annemarie. Annemarie’s Personal Cook Book, 1968
13. The Magic Ring: Russian Folk Tales from Alexander Afanasiev’s Collection, 1978
14. Oosterhuis, Huub, Michel van der Plas, Pius Drijvers, Han Renckens, Frans Jozef van Beeck, David Smith, and Forrest Ingram. Fifty Psalms: An Attempt at a New Translation, 1969
15. Reische, Diana. Of Colonists and Commuters: A History of Scarsdale, 1976
16. Riemer, George. The New Jesuits (with personal letter from the author), 1971
17. Robert, Henry M. Robert’s Rules of Order, 1967

Oversize folder (stored beside Box 7):

18. Newspapers reporting President Kennedy’s assassination and President Nixon’s resignation:
South Bend Tribune – 1963 November 22;
Chicago Sun-Times – 1963 November 23;
Chicago Tribune – 1963 November 24-25;
New York Times – 1974 August 6, 9

New York Post – 1974 August 8, 9

Box 8:
Folder:
1. Family scrapbook, 1956-1968
2. President Kennedy scrapbook, circa 1960
3. Family photo album, 1980-1990
4. People magazine yearbook featuring Jackie Kennedy, 1995
Box 9:
Folder:
Includes items from multiple series
1. Series 2: Photographs – Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 1992-1997
2. Series 1-5: Various education and career-related photographs, most unlabeled, 1975, 1981-1994;
Includes five photographs probably from book party for A Conceptual Approach to the Nursing of Children, 1981;
Photograph with Alumni Association Outstanding Career Achievement award from the College of Mount St. Joseph (see
alumni materials in Box 1, Folder 11 and actual award in Box 6, Folder 7), 1994
3. Series 4: Photographs – New York State Nurses Association. District 14, 1991, 2005, undated
4. Series 6: Personal photographs [1 of 4], undated
5. Series 6: Personal photographs [2 of 4], undated
6. Series 6: Personal photographs [3 of 4], undated
7. Series 6: Personal photographs [4 of 4], undated
Books: on Bookshelf in R. Louise McManus Research Library
Baldrige, Letitia. Letitia Baldrige’s Complete Guide to Executive Manners, 1985
Benyaminov, Meyer R. Bukharian Jews (Russian language), 1983
Duncan, Roger F. and John P. Ware. A Cruising Guide to the New England Coast: Including the Hudson River, Long Island 
Sound, and the Coast of New Brunswick, 1979
Howard, Clive. The Goose from Scarsdale, 1974
Huste, Annemarie. Annemarie’s Personal Cook Book, 1968
The Magic Ring: Russian Folk Tales from Alexander Afanasiev’s Collection, 1978
Oosterhuis, Huub, Michel van der Plas, Pius Drijvers, Han Renckens, Frans Jozef van Beeck, David Smith, and Forrest Ingram. Fifty Psalms: An Attempt at a New Translation, 1969
Reische, Diana. Of Colonists and Commuters: A History of Scarsdale, 1976
Riemer, George. The New Jesuits (with personal letter from the author), 1971
Robert, Henry M. Robert’s Rules of Order, 1967

Revisions:
Arlene Roush May 31, 2005
Gertrude B. Hutchinson April 2014
Gertrude B. Hutchinson May 21, 2018

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