Betty Battenfield, the founding chair of the College of Education and Health Professions' nursing program, was known for her generosity and compassion. She passed away last month at age 98.

A funeral service was held on Jan. 24 at the Elkins Community Church.

Battenfield led the U of A nursing program from its inception in 1969 until her retirement in 1991.

In a condolence letter to Battenfield's daughter, Dean Kate Mamiseishvili noted, "Her remarkable life and unparalleled contributions to nursing education and the broader community leave behind a legacy that will be remembered and celebrated for generations."

Mamiseishvili said while she didn't have the opportunity to meet Battenfield, she has often heard about the impact the college's first nursing chair had on the program that would become the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing in 1996.

"Her role as the founding chair of the University of Arkansas' nursing program speaks to her commitment to advancing healthcare through education with the more than 1,100 registered nurses benefiting from her mentorship," Mamiseishvili wrote. "Your mom helped shape the future of healthcare in Arkansas and beyond."

Mamiseishvili noted it's evident Battenfield was always an involved community member who embodied the values of kindness, integrity and service.

"As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she leaves behind a family deeply rooted in the principles she lived by," she added. "Please know that her impact will not be forgotten. We are thankful that her remarkable legacy will live on in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing through the students and individuals whose lives she impacted."

A 2009 U of A news story shared comments from Battenfield, the featured speaker at that year's Pi Theta nursing honor society induction. During her remarks, she encouraged students to keep compassion in nursing.

"I'm an old-fashioned nurse, and I know the high-tech part of nursing is necessary, but you have to keep something else," she said. "The caring, compassionate nature is easy to lose in this world of data. Nurses must have the compassion that was first in your mind when you decided you wanted to be a nurse. You must bridge the gap between technology and caring. When you witness a person in pain, areas in your brain are affected, activating empathy. That's the foundation upon which compassion is built. We are wired to be connected; we are wired to be connected with each other and the world."

Battenfield recalled that she told her faculty to emphasize to students that they should always look at a patient first upon entering a hospital room, not at a medical monitor. Battenfield told the Pi Theta inductees that she had seen nurses with true compassion and nurses with excellent technical skills.

"It takes both," she told them. "You're intellectuals. That's why you're here tonight. You've had high scores, you believe in education, and you want to further your careers. But, always let your compassion be the soul of your nursing."

Battenfield graduated from the U.S. Cadet Nursing Corp.— legislated by Congress during World War II to produce associate-degree nurses expediently for the war — at age 20. After the war ended, she continued her education, graduating from the University of Houston with a Science of Nursing bachelor's degree. She married Bob Battenfield in 1947 and continued to work in medical clinics, hospital obstetrics and general medical-surgical units for several years. In 1958, her family, which now included three children, moved to a farm near Elkins.

Battenfield worked one year at Fayetteville City Hospital, then taught second grade at Elkins school for two years, making her schedule more compatible with her children's. She simultaneously completed a master's degree in education. The Practical Nurse School had opened while she was at City Hospital, and she taught a pharmacology course to nurse's aides who planned to be "grandfathered" into the new program. Soon, she accepted a position as an instructor in the Practical Nurse School. She was later named head of the school, a position she held for eight years. In 1969, the U of A opened its associate degree nursing program, and Battenfield was appointed chair.

She completed a Master of Nursing degree at Wichita State University and a Doctor of Education Degree at the U of A while working at the nursing school. For the next 22 years, more than 1,100 students earned degrees as licensed registered nurses under her direction. Her nursing faculty had developed a baccalaureate degree curriculum in anticipation of the U of A's 1990 approval of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Battenfield retired in 1991 as professor emeritus just as the new curriculum was instituted. She had been a nurse and nurse educator for 45 years.

During her career, Battenfield held leadership roles in various professional organizations, including the District Arkansas Nurses Association, the National League for Nurses Board of Governors and the National ADN Board of Review for Accreditation. She presented workshops on nursing education and spoke at many conferences.

Battenfield received multiple nursing honors, including life honorary membership in Sigma Theta Tau, honorary membership in Phi Delta Kappa and honorary membership in the American Vocational Association. Her civic honors included the 2001 Eagle Award for Outstanding Health Care Leadership, the Jay Lawson Award as Volunteer of the Year 2005 from the Arkansas Methodist Conference and the 2014 Distinguished Citizen Award from the Washington County Historical Society.

After retiring, Battenfield was a member of the Ozark Literacy Council for 10 years, serving as president of its board for one term and teaching English as a second language. She also volunteered at the Fayetteville City Hospital Auxiliary resale shop, The Attic, for more than 20 years and was named president of its board five times. Always involved in her church, she taught Sunday School for about 40 years, served on 20 mission trips in six different countries and was the district president for the United Methodist Women. She served on the Arkansas Country Doctor Museum Board for 10 years. As a volunteer, she researched and printed many booklets on the lives and accomplishments of old Arkansas country doctors.

Battenfield is survived by her children, Frantz Robert, James Bruce and Martha Brown; her grandchildren, Courtney Wassom and Christen L Battenfield; and her great-grandchildren, Garret Wassom, Ian Wassom, Olivia Wassom and Leo A Malhotra. She is also survived by 10 nieces and nephews and 23 great- and great-great nieces and nephews.

Battenfield's daughter, Martha Brown, said her mom's favorite saying was: "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it."

Battenfield's family is creating a keepsake book about her and has asked for memories from her time at the U of A. To share a story about Battenfield, contact Brown at brownmartha796@gmail.com.