luther christman

“A remarkable leader.” “Ahead of his time.” “A maverick.”

They’re all references to Luther Christman, PhD, RN, emeritus dean of the Rush University College of Nursing who died on June 7, and they’re among the comments submitted to Rush InPerson by those who knew him.

Here are a few samples of the comments left on a previous post announcing a symposium in his honor on Nov. 6 at Rush Universit y:

I will be forever grateful to Luther for his recognition of the importance of basic sciences to nursing education, practice, and research … and, on a very personal basis, his willingness to give me a chance!
— Jan Zeller

Dr. Christman was a true visionary. He developed ideas that people believed would never work. He succeeded with all of his projects and way beyond. It truly was a honor to next to him for many years. He gave me opportunities in the international nursing community which I will never forget. He was my mentor and a close friend after he left Rush. I will always be thankful for his direction.
— Jane Tarnow, DNSc, RN

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A pioneer of the practitioner-teacher model for nursing education, a champion of advanced clinical degrees for nurses and the nation’s first male dean of a school of nursing, Luther Christman, PhD, RN, emeritus dean of Rush University College of Nursing, died June 7, 2011.

Christman was the College of Nursing’s founding dean and the vice president for nursing affairs at then Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center from 1972 until his retirement in 1987. There, he shaped the field of nursing by implementing the Rush Model for Nursing, which included the merging of nursing education and practice, as well as primary nursing as a means to improve patient care.

Christman also helped establish the National Male Nurse Association (now the American Assembly for Men in Nursing), was honored with the first Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award from Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

A symposium in honor of Dr. Christman is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 6, at Rush Universit y. Interested participants are asked to RSVP by Oct. 6.

Gifts in Christman’s memory can be directed to the Dorothy and Luther Christman Endowed Scholarship for Nursing at Rush by visiting www.rush.edu/giveonline or contacting Alex Kwak at (312) 942-6112 or alex_kwak@rush.edu.