Rhetaugh Graves Dumas

Rhetaugh Etheldra Graves was born in Natchez, Mississippi. Dumas' mother wanted to become a nurse, but no local nursing schools admitted African-American students at the time and her family could not afford to send her to college further away. When Dumas spoke at the Columbia University 2003 commencement for health sciences graduates, she said "From infancy, I was told that when I grew up, I was going to be a nurse, not just an ordinary nurse, mind you, but one who would be admired by people all around the country -- not only for her personal achievements, but more importantly, for her contributions toward improving the welfare of others." Following graduation, she took her first jobs as a substitute teacher in Natchez and as the Nurse Director of Dillard University's Student Health Center. ==Career==

Dumas earned a master's degree in nursing in 1961 from Yale School of Nursing and joined the school's faculty, ultimately becoming an associate professor and the chair of psychiatric nursing. Between 1979 and 1981, she was the first nurse, female, or African-American to serve as the deputy director of the NIMH. Dumas received honorary doctorates from the University of Cincinnati, University of San Diego, Yale University and Dillard University. She gave the keynote address at the 1998 conference of the American Association for the History of Nursing in Mississippi. Her published work includes "The Effect of Nursing Care on Postoperative Vomiting" and "Dilemmas of Black Females in Leadership." Dumas died of cancer in a Houston hospice on July 22, 2007. == Legacy ==

The University of Michigan Academic Women's Caucus issues the Rhetaugh G. Dumas Progress in Diversifying Award for "notable progress by academic units in achieving concurrent ethnic/racial and gender diversity in the faculty." Michigan and Yale have both established endowed chairs in their nursing schools in her name. ==See also==