Livin', Learnin', and Laughin' Through the Years

Catherine Strader McGehee received her BSN from the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1975. She earned her MSN from the school in 1980 and was pursuing her PhD at U.Va. when she passed away in 1999 after a courageous battle with breast cancer. A loving wife and mother to three, McGehee was also an associate professor of nursing at Lynchburg College, where she taught a variety of courses in the nursing curriculum. Her focus and passion centered on promoting the health and well-being of children.

As an active community leader, McGehee volunteered her time in local school systems, worked with adolescent girls, and helped to set up a free clinic in her community. In recognition of her outstanding promise as a doctoral student, she was recognized as a Commonwealth Fellow.

In all facets of her life, Cathy McGehee strived to pursue excellence and demonstrate exemplary leadership. The desire to pay tribute to this leadership and to honor the memory of this remarkable woman is at the core of the creation of the McGehee Lectureship.

The lecture was endowed in 2002 in loving memory of McGehee by the School of Nursing BSN Class of 1975, and her family and friends. Distinguished speakers are selected and recognized for those personal qualities demonstrated by McGehee in her lifetime—a commitment to excellence in nursing education and practice, and a desire to contribute to the community at large.

In April 2011, School of Nursing alumna Barbara Bancroft, RN, PhD (PNP '76, MSN '78) delivered the annual Catherine Strader McGehee Memorial Lecture. Bancroft is the executive director and president of Chicago-based CCP Associates, Inc., a continuing education firm for corporations and health-care professionals. Bancroft's lecture, "Livin', Learnin', and Laughin' Through the Years," provided an educational, entertaining, and enlightening trip down memory lane with "Best Bets" for a wonderful career in health care.