Mary Joan Nielubowicz
Encyclopedia
Retired Rear Admiral Mary Joan Nielubowicz was the Director of the Navy Nurse Corps from 1983 to 1987.
to Joseph and Ursula Nielubowicz and graduated from Shenandoah Catholic High School. She earned a nursing diploma from Misericordia Hospital, Philadelphia, in 1950.
degree from the University of Colorado in 1961 and a master of science
degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1965.
She served in areas around the globe, including Portsmouth, Virginia
, Corona, California
, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Annapolis, Maryland
, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
, Iwakuni, Japan, Cherry Point, North Carolina
, Guam
and Long Beach, California
. Billets of increasing responsibility included that of senior nurse at the branch clinic in Iwakuni, Japan
in 1967. In 1979 she became director of nursing services at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia
.
She became director of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1983, and was promoted to the rank of Commodore (equivalent to today's Rear Admiral (lower half). In 1985 the rank was changed to Rear Admiral.). She served concurrently as deputy commander for Personnel Management and later as deputy commander for Health Care Operations.
In 1986, Navy Nurse Corps members of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) established the Mary J. Nielubowicz Essay Award in recognition of her outstanding support and encouragement of active and reserve nurses.
Admiral Nielubowicz died at her home in Fairfax, Virginia
on 24 March 2008. She was interred at Arlington National Cemetery
on 21 May 2008.
Early life
Mary Joan Nielubowicz was born on 5 February 1929 in Shenandoah, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Joseph and Ursula Nielubowicz and graduated from Shenandoah Catholic High School. She earned a nursing diploma from Misericordia Hospital, Philadelphia, in 1950.
Navy Nurse Corps career
Nielubowicz joined the Navy Nurse Corps in 1951. While in the Nurse Corps, she earned a Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the University of Colorado in 1961 and a master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1965.
She served in areas around the globe, including Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
, Corona, California
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Iwakuni, Japan, Cherry Point, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. Billets of increasing responsibility included that of senior nurse at the branch clinic in Iwakuni, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1967. In 1979 she became director of nursing services at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
.
She became director of the Navy Nurse Corps in 1983, and was promoted to the rank of Commodore (equivalent to today's Rear Admiral (lower half). In 1985 the rank was changed to Rear Admiral.). She served concurrently as deputy commander for Personnel Management and later as deputy commander for Health Care Operations.
In 1986, Navy Nurse Corps members of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) established the Mary J. Nielubowicz Essay Award in recognition of her outstanding support and encouragement of active and reserve nurses.
Admiral Nielubowicz died at her home in Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
on 24 March 2008. She was interred at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
on 21 May 2008.
External links
- Nurses and the U.S. Navy -- Overview and Special Image Selection Naval Historical Center
- Mary J. Nielubowicz