Named in honor of the pioneering African American nurse Mary Eliza Mahoney. Graduating from the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston, MA in 1879, Mary was the first colored graduate nurse in the United States. For more than 40 years, Mary devoted her life to professional nursing, delivering services to patients in the home, clinics and hospitals, and promoting organizational development for nurses. Her life and legacy are celebrated by members of this and other professional nursing organizations and by numerous awards named in her honor.
