Veronica “Ronnie” O’Day, PhD, RN is a retired professional nurse. During her career she was an assistant professor at the Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University and later served as one of its archivists along with Wanda Hiestand, EdD, RN. Dr. O’Day also serviced as the Program Director of the Combined Degree Program at Pace. This collection represents her achievements and accolades accorded her during her career.

 

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Index code: MC70

Finding Guide:

Finding Aid for the Veronica C. O’Day Collection, 1946-2010

 

Veronica “Ronnie” Caulfield O’Day, PhD, RN was born to Irish parents in 1925 in Yonkers, New York. She was the third-generation of her family to be born in Yonkers. She graduated from the Charles E. Gorton High School in 1943 and that same year enrolled in the Cochran School of Nursing of St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers. O’Day worked as a nurse for several years and earned her BS in Nursing Education from New York University in 1950. She married William M. O’Day in 1951, and they adopted two children: James Martin O’Day in 1958 and Anne Maureen O’Day in 1962. In 1970 O’Day began a master’s degree program at Hunter College. In 1977 she was hired as Assistant Professor at the Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University and began the PhD program at New York University. Dr. O’Day received her PhD in Nursing in 1981. From 1983-1987 she was chairperson of the Generic Master’s Department, during which time the program underwent expansion and was reorganized into a combined degree program. Beginning in 1987 and until her retirement in 1996 Dr. O’Day served as the Program Director of the Combined Degree Program and continued as Associate Professor and Professor.

 

Dr. O’Day believed strongly in the importance of professional organization. After earning her PhD, she was elected delegate to the American Nurses Association conventions from New York State District 16 until 1997. She also served as NYSNA president and board member and was active in other association activities. Dr. O’Day served as a member of the executive committee and chairperson of the establishment planning committee for the first four-school at-large chapters of Sigma Theta Tau International. She was also very active in community service, especially with organizations that promote nursing research. Dr. O’Day has also realized her interest in nursing interest by serving as Archivist for the Westchester Nursing History Committee and with local history records at Pace University.

 

Compiled from: Hiestand, Wanda C. “Veronica Caulfield O’Day, 1925-.” In Vol.3 of American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, edited by Vern L. Bullough and Lilli Sentz, 221-223. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2000.

 

 SCOPE AND CONTENTs NOTE

 

MC 70, the Veronica C. O’Day Collection, 1946-2010 consists of materials related to Dr. O’Day’s career in nursing and nursing education. The bulk of the materials were created between 1980 and 1997, a span which closely matches her time as a nursing professor at Pace University. The collection contains a large number of awards as well as journal articles and other publications, presentation programs, news items, and correspondence.

 

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

 

The four genre-based series in the Veronica C. O’Day Collection were determined by Dr. O’Day at the time of donation: Commendations, Publications, Presentations, and News and Correspondence (changed from “Items of Interest”). Order within the series as well as the folders of loose papers is chronological. Included at the start of each series is the initial item list provided by Dr. O’Day, which is the basis for the detailed Box and Folder List found below.

 

Series 1: Commendations, 1980-1999, 2006

 

This series consists of awards presented to Dr. O’Day throughout her career in nursing and nursing education.

 

Series 2: Publications, 1969, 1982-2001, 2007

 

This series includes journal articles and other writings by Dr. O’Day on topics such as professional nursing Organizations and Graduate Nursing Education. There is also a copy of the entry for ‘Veronica Caulfield O’Day” in American Nursing: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 3, 2000, edited by Vern L. Bullough and Lilli Sentz.

 

Series 3: Presentations, 1980-1989, 1997

This series contains announcements and programs for events at which Dr. O’Day was a speaker, including several conferences and ceremonies. Placed first in the folder is a document entitled “Overview of Presentations” which was written by Dr. O’Day upon donation of the collection.

 

Series 4: News and Correspondence, 1946, 1963, 1981-1990, 1995-1997, 2009-2010

This series consists mainly of news items and letters of appreciation related to Dr. O’Day’s career in nursing and nursing education. There is also a NYSNA convention delegate vest with pins that is housed apart from the other items in Box 1, Folder 7.

 

BOX AND FOLDER LIST

Series 1: Commendations, 1980-1999, 2006

Box 1:

Folder:

1. Loose papers:

The Generic Masters Student, 1980 May; NYSNA Director at Large, 68th Convention, 1983 October 21-24;

Induction Certificate, Zeta Omega Chapter, Charter Member, Sigma Theta Tau, National Honor Society of Nursing, 1984 March 25;

Nurses’ Association of Westchester County, Inc. District 16 – NYSNA Certificate of Appreciation, 1985 May 21;

Nurses’ Association of Westchester County, Inc. District 16 – NYSNA Certificate of Appreciation, 1986 May 15;

Nurses’ Association of Westchester County, Inc. District 16 – NYSNA Certificate of Appreciation, 1989 May 8;

The Generic Masters Students, 1987 May;

Pace University Faculty/Staff Annual Fund Committee Certificate of Appreciation, circa 1985;

Photographs of Westchester Health Action Delegates, Joe Murphy and Veronica O’Day at a Universal Health Care Rally in Washington, DC, circa 1985;

First Inter-American Symposium on Qualitative Research in Nursing Sao Paulo, Brazil. Certificate of Appreciation, 1988 February 22-26;

Adult Education Week, Pace University, Division of General Studies Certificate of Appreciation, 1990 March 18-24

2. CDP Class of 1990 Recognizes Veronica O’Day as a Nursing Leader, 1990 May 21

3. USAF Nurse Educator Award, 1993 May

4. Dean, Faculty and Staff of the Lienhard School of Nursing have chosen Veronica O’Day, as the recipient of the 1993 Outstanding Nurse Educator Award, 1993

5. Pace University, Speaker at our Third Annual University Wide Seminar Day, Certificate of Appreciation, 1994 November 12

6. Certificate of recognition Pace University Twenty Years of Dedicated Service, 1996 October 6

7. NYSNA convention delegate vest with pins (Series 4), circa 1985

Box 2:

Folder:

1. Pace University, Pace Retiree Organization Certification of Appreciation, 1997 June 7

2. Loose papers:

7.5 Continuing education units in the Modern Archives Institute, 1995 June 5-6;

Westchester County Office for the Aging Hall of Fame Certificate of Appreciation, 1996 December 13;

Letter of Congratulations as a recipient of the 1996 Westchester County Office for The Aging Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Award from Senator Vincent L. Leibell, 37th Senate District, 1996 December 13;

Hall of Fame Luncheon 1996 Program, 1996 December 13;

Participating as a panelist in the broadcast, “Toward Tomorrow Concerns, Choice and Change in Contemporary Healthcare” sponsored by the Mamaroneck Historical Society. Certificate of Appreciation, 1997 July 11;

NYSNA Induction into Leadership Institute Certificate of Appreciation, 1998 October 30;

History of Gorton High, 1924-1999, 1999;

1976-2006 30 years of participation in the Nurses’ Health Study, 2006 June;

NYSNA Certificate of Appreciation 25 years of membership, 2006 August 31

 

Series 2: Publications, 1969, 1982-2001, 2007

3. Loose papers:

O’Day, V. (1985) Facilitating access to nursing archives. American Association for History of Nursing Newsletter. Spring, No. 8, 3-4, 1985;

O’Day, V. (1986). Career change programs for college graduates. Academic Chairperson: Unravelling the Paradox for Faculty Evaluation and Development, Division of Continuing Education, Kansas State University. 20, 377-383, 1986;

Veronica Caulfield O’Day 1925- In V. L. Bullough & L. Sentz, Editors, American Nursing, A Biographical Dictionary, Vol. 3, Springer, 221-223, 2000;

O’Day, V. A brief history of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools: Shaping Policy Through Collaboration. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association, Spring/Summber 2007, 6-8, 2007

4. Author not listed, Diamond Jubilee, Dinner Dance, September 27, 1969, Hilton Inn, Tarrytown, NY. Historical Content on the Cochran School of Nursing and the Cochran School Alumnae Association, 1894-1969, 1969

5. Contributor (1982), NYSNA Action Plan: Directions for Nursing in Health Care, 1982

6. O’Day, V. (1985) Zeta Omega at-Large an Innovation. Monograph Series ’85, Leadership Patterns: Paths to Success, ’85: One. National Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau. 67-70, 1985

7. May Ayres, Burgess, PhD, 1925-1945. In Maranjian Church and V. L. Bullough (Eds) Biographical Dictionary of American Nurses. New York: Garland, 52-54, 1988

8. O’Day, V. (1988, Fall) Nursing Careers for College Graduates. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association for Counseling and Development. Vol. 3, No. 2, 43-50, 1988

9. O’Day, V. (1989) Directory of innovative nursing practices in Westchester County. New York: Office of Assembly Speaker Mel Miller, 1989

10. O’Day, V. (1990) Breaking Away: How District 16, NYSNA got started. Journal of the New York State Nurses Association, December 1990, Vol. 21, No. 4, 14-17, 1990

11. O’Day, V. (1992) An investigation of membership characteristics throughout the Development and History of the Nurses’ Association of Westchester County 1938-1992, 1992

12. O’Day, V. & Hiestand, W. C. Access to graduate education in nursing for registered nurses with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees. Journal of Professional Nursing, Vol. 9, #4, July-August, 1993, 220-227, 1993

13. Hiestand, W. C. & O’Day, V., Criteria for admission to graduate nursing programs for registered nurses with non-nursing baccalaureate degrees based on experiential learning and portfolio assessment. First Nursing Academic International Congress, Collaboration in Nursing, Working Together to Achieve Academic Excellence, School of Nursing, University of Canberra Act Australia 8-10, February, 1994, Abstracts 53-54, 1994

14. O’Day, V. Historical Highlights of the Nurses’ Association of Westchester County 1992-2001, 2001

Series 3: Presentations, 1980-1989, 1997

15. Loose papers:

Doctoral Education in Nursing, Dow Room 21 Pace University, 1980 April 14;

Research: The BAGE of Scholarship and Leadership Houston, Texas Beta Beta Chapter of Houston, Sigma Theta Tau, Nursing Research Institute, Texas Women’s University, 1981 April 10;

McLean Cable Television, Channel 26 in Westchester, “Memoirs of Nursing in Westchester County: Class of ‘27” on May 6, National Nurse Day at 6:30 pm, 1983 May 6;

Second Annual Research Conference Lienhard School of Nursing Pace University “The Relationship of Sensation Seeking, Auditory Input and Endurance Time to Somatic Complaints of Clients Experiencing Chair Rest” by V. O’Day, 1984 April 28;

“Builders of Nursing’s Image” Panel Moderators, V. O’Day Zeta Omega, Westchester/Rockland at Large, Sigma Theta Tau, 1985 October 9;

Pinning Ceremony, Generic Masters Program, Lienhard School of Nursing, Guest Speaker, V. O’Day, 1986 June 14;

Homemaker Health Aide Graduation, Address to Graduates, V. O’Day, 1986 October 8;

Reception Honoring our Colleagues in the Affiliating Agencies, Presentation “Dimensions of Nursing’s Current Crisis” V. O’Day, 1987 April 22;

45th Anniversary of the Nurses Association of Westchester County 1942-1987 Guest Speaker – V. O’Day, 1987 May 8;

New York State Association for Counseling and Development Inc., 22nd Annual Convention “Nursing Careers for College Graduates” V. O’Day, 1987 October 26-27;

Westchester Health Action Coalition, Panelist, “Innovative Nursing Practices in Westchester County,” V. O’Day, 1987 June 11;

“Current Issues in Long-Term Care,” Field-Home, Holy Comforter Guest Speaker, V. O’Day, 1989 October 9;

The Mamaroneck Historical Society Presents “Concerns, Chance and Change in Contemporary Health Care,” Live Call in Broadcast, Panelist V. O’Day, 1997 June 3

Series 4: News and Correspondence, 1946, 1963, 1981-1990, 1995-1997, 2009-2010

16. Loose papers:

Cochran’s Graduation Award Winners. Cochran School of Nursing Alumnae Award for the Student who Demonstrates Outstanding Scholastic Ability and Superior Nursing Skills: Veronica Caulfield O’Day, 1946;

News Item Re: Cochran Alumnae Prize, Recipient, V. O’Day, 1946;

A Poem to honor Miss Vera Unger at a Christmas party Dec. 5, 1963, written by V. O’Day, 1963;

A poem written by a clinical group an “Ode to Ronie,” 1982;

Personal note from a group of students to V. O’Day, 1982;

News Item on V. O’Day, 1981;

News Item on V. O’Day, 1983;

Letter of Appreciation from a student to V. O’Day, 1983;

Letter of Appreciation and an Instructor Evaluation from a student to V. O’Day, 1982;

A brief note of good wishes from a departing Librarian, 1986;

Annual Report, “Functional Unit of Deans, Directors and Faculty, Nursing Education Programs,” V. O’Day, 1986-1987;

Annual Report, “Functional Unit of Deans, Directors and Faculty, Nursing Education Programs,” V. O’Day, Chairman and Panel Moderator, 1987-1988;

Recipient of the 1988 Nursing Education Award, V. O’Day, NYSNA Convention, 1988;

NYSNA Awards Banquet Program, 1988;

News Item on V. O’Day 1988 Nursing Education Award, 1988;

News Item on V. O’Day Contributions to Nursing, 1988;

V. O’Day’s paper, “An Investigation of Membership Characteristics Throughout the Development and History of the Nurses’ Association of Westchester County,” was selected for poster presentation at the First Qualitative Research Conference to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1988;

Congratulatory note from Dean Jaffe-Ruiz for being nominated as a faculty member who has been most helpful to Pace adult students as a teacher and guide, 1990 March 26;

Letter of Appreciation from a recent Pace graduate to V. O’Day, 1995 October 10;

Letter of Appreciation from a recent Pace graduate to V. O’Day, 1995 September 22;

LSN News N Notes p. 3 Interview: Dr. Veronica O’Day Feb, 1996 by Dawn Stoddard, Vol. 9, 1996 November 1;

Congratulatory letter from Pace President Patricia Ewers for my twenty years of service at Pace, 1996 December 5;

Program from “Annual Appreciation Dinner for Pace Retirees.” V. O’Day, 1997 June 7;

Letter of Appreciation from St. John’s Riverside Hospital and the Cochran School of Nursing for a cash donation in Memory of three classmates of the class of 1946, 1997 June 10;

Inclusion in “Hunter Alumni Today, 2009,” V. O’Day, 2009;

Letter of Appreciation from Dean Dirschel of the Cochran School of Nursing for the donation of four archival scrapbooks of the History of the Class of 1946 which portray, “Diploma School Life of the 40’s.” by V. O’Day, 2010 August 10

 

 

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