On July 19^th at the DoubleTree Hotel, I had the honor of attending Dr. Barbara Nichols retirement as the executive director of the Wisconsin Center for Nursing, a position she has held since 2017. A Who’s Who of Wisconsin nursing was there, singing her well-deserved praises. Barbara’s family also joined in on the celebration.

Barbara, now 87-years-old — July 19^th was also her birthday — apparently wasn’t done working when I wrote a story about her back in 2012 when she was only 74 and had stepped down as the executive director of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) for which she traveled the world evaluating nursing programs for U.S. credentialing.

When she was young, Barbara was torn between an acting/dancing career or nursing. We are all the better for her decision to enter the nursing field.