Sisters of St. Joseph School of Before the SMHS, there was the SSJSN.
Class of 1962. A photo of the Class of 1962 reunion can be found in Parting Shots on page 38.
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The Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing held two class reunions in August. The classes of 1962 and 1967 gathered in the Greater Grand Forks Area to catch-up, reminisce, and to tour what is now the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). The SMHS occupies the former home of St. Michael’s hospital. St. Michael’s opened in 1952. With the relocation of the hospital, so came the relocation of the Sisters of St. Joseph School of Nursing. It was the first three-year diploma program in Grand Forks, and in 1956, it was the first nursing school in North Dakota to receive full National League for Nursing accreditation. The class of 1967 had 18 of 38 graduates make it back for the two-day reunion. The first day was spent catching up with classmates at a social and dinner at Eagle’s Crest Grill on King’s Walk golf course in Grand Forks. “We had classmates come back from all over the country. It was interesting to see
NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Holiday 2012
By Emily Aasand
where everyone’s careers took them in life,” said Barb Riskey, a class of 1967 alumna. “We had people who went on to be military nurses, taught nursing, and one even got involved with missionary nursing in Kenya.” The second day was spent on the UND campus with a tour of the SMHS, lunch at the North Dakota Museum of Art, and a tour of Fulton residence hall. “Fulton is where all of us were housed during our schooling,” Riskey said. “We got to know each other quite well while living there.” The class of 1962 held its reunion the last weekend in August. Of the 36 graduates, 22 classmates attended. “We had a reception that was held at the medical building, and we were able to re-create a group picture we took for our ‘capping ceremony’ during freshman year,” said Virginia Esslinger, a class of 1962 alumna. “It was very nostalgic.” Touring what used to be their nursing school and local hospital was a highlight of