Myrtis May Coltharp (April 10, 1900 – September 18, 1993) was an American nurse, foreign service officer, and federal official. In 1946, she became the first foreign service nurse employed by the United States Department of State, and she worked as a staff nurse at American embassies in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. From 1962 to 1963, she was the second Director of Foreign Service Nurses at the State Department.
Myrtis Coltharp | |
|---|---|
 Myrtis Coltharp, from a 1961 publication of the US Department of State | |
| Born | April 10, 1900 Turnersville, Texas |
| Died | September 18, 1993 (aged 93) Austin, Texas |
| Occupation(s) | Nurse, federal official |
Early life and education edit
Myrtis Coltharp was born in Turnersville, Texas, the daughter of Marcellus Coltharp and Amanda Dove Blankenship Coltharp. She graduated from Gatesville High School in 1917. In 1921 she completed training at the Baylor University School of Nursing.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree at Montezeuma College in New Mexico in 1927, and had American Red Cross training as a hygiene instructor.[2][3]
Career edit
Coltharp was a school nurse in Utah,[4] taught at a Texas hospital, and was a public health nurse in Mississippi.[2] She worked as a field agent and regional director of the American Red Cross before and during World War II,[5][6][7] before joining the State Department in 1946, as the department's first foreign service nurse.[8][9] She was staff nurse at the American embassies in Belgrade (1946–1950),[10] Rome (1950–1955), Addis Ababa (1955–1959), Mexico City (1959–1961), and Conakry (1961).[11] Late in 1962 she succeeded the first Director of Foreign Service Nurses, Evelyn Weigold Crane.[12] Coltharp supervised foreign service nurses around the world as director,[13] and retired from the State Department in 1963.[10][14]
Personal life edit
Coltharp died in Austin, Texas, in 1993, aged 93 years.[1][11]
References edit
- ^ a b "Myrtis May Coltharp". Austin American-Statesman. 1993-09-19. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Red Cross Director Speaker Tonight at Rochex Home". The Times. 1939-12-14. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Home Hygiene Classes in Shasta Area Are Creating Keen Interest". The Searchlight. 1939-09-22. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Myrtis Coltharp Employed as School Nurse in East Millard County". The Beaver Press. 1932-09-02. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Red Cross Field Agent Speaks". The Spokesman-Review. 1937-09-16. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nursing, Health Topic for 3-Day Meet Here Soon". The Austin American. 1941-11-09. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-05-05 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Torrop, Hilda (November 1942). "Ask Miss Torrop". RN. 6: 29 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "6 Nurses Assigned to African Posts". Department of State News Letter: 18. October 1961.
- ^ Walther, Regis (December 1952). "Foreign Service Nurses in the Field". Foreign Service Journal. 29: 21 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b DeVault, Virgil T. (1982). The Origins and Development of the Office of Medical Services, Department of State. The Department. pp. 58–61.
- ^ a b "Obituaries". State: 58. November 1993.
- ^ Calkin, Homer L. (1977). Women in the Department of State. Department of State. pp. 185–186.
- ^ "Administration". Department of State News Letter: 53. August 1963.
- ^ Beeson, Harold (June 1963). "Nurses in the Foreign Service: Their Work is Appreciated". Department of State News Letter: 26–27.