May Wykle facts for kids

May Louise Hinton-Wykle is a famous American nurse, teacher, and researcher. She is known for her work with older adults, a field called gerontology. Dr. Wykle was the first African-American to hold a special teaching position at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She also teaches about caring for older people and mental health.

Early Life and Education

May Louise Hinton-Wykle was born on February 11, 1934, in Martins Ferry, Ohio. Her parents were John R. and Florence A. Randall. She finished high school in rural Ohio. At first, she wanted to be a doctor. But after working as a nurse's aide for a year, she decided to become a nurse instead.

Her grandmother was a big inspiration for her. May often helped her mother care for her grandparents, who lived with them. Her grandmother also did a lot of charity work. This showed May how important it was to care for older people in her community.

Becoming a Nurse

In 1956, May earned her nursing diploma from the Ruth Brant School of Nursing. After graduating, she worked as a staff nurse at the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute. There, she gained experience as a head nurse and later as a supervisor.

In 1962, she went back to school to get her bachelor's degree in nursing. She then returned to the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute as a teacher. In 1969, Dr. Wykle went back to Case Western Reserve University. She earned her master's degree in psychiatric nursing and her PhD in nursing. Her teachers were so impressed that they asked her to join the faculty. She has been teaching there ever since.

Personal Life

May Wykle was married to William L. Wykle, who passed away on January 2, 2019. She has two grandchildren named Alexis and Larry.

A Career Helping Others

Dr. Wykle is an expert in the field of aging. She has done a lot of research on the mental and physical health of older adults. She also studied how caregivers look after elders. This includes topics like staying healthy and caring for people with HIV.

She has held many important teaching and research jobs at Case Western Reserve University since 1969. These include being the Director of Nursing at Hanna Pavilion and the Chairperson of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. She also served as the Dean of Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.

Important Roles and Awards

In 1993, Dr. Wykle was part of the White House Conference on Aging. This conference helps plan for the needs of older people.

In 1999, she received a special award called the "Pope Eminent Scholar" at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. She still serves on their board of directors.

Also in 1999, Dr. Wykle was chosen to be the President of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. This is a very important group for nurses.

In 2005, she became a Director for the American Red Cross in Cleveland.

In 2011, she was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. This honors nurses who have done amazing research. In the same year, she was President of the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research.

In 2013, Dr. Wykle helped Cuyahoga Community College as an interim dean. She guided the school through some important accreditation issues.

Professional Awards and Honors

• 1985 NIMH Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award
• 1992 The Outstanding Researcher in the State of Ohio
• 1993 Delegate and Member of the Planning Committee of the White House Conference on Aging
• 1999 Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Nursing Profession
• 1999 The Leadership Award for Excellence in Geriatric Care
• 1999 President of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International
• 1999 First recipient of the Pope Eminent Scholar at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving
• 1999 The Belle Sherwin Award for Distinguished Nursing Professional of the Year
• 2000 Doris Schwartz Nursing Research Award
• 2009 Case Western Reserve University Distinguished Alumni Award
• 2010 American Nurses Association's Mary Mahoney Award

Opening Doors for Minorities

Throughout her career, May Wykle worked hard to make nursing a field open to more minority groups. When she was young, she was denied admission to several nursing schools because of her race. But she became the first African American to be accepted to the Ruth Bryant School of Nursing.

When she started working at Martin's Ferry Hospital, she was one of the very few African-American nurses in an all-white hospital. Later, when she went to school in Cleveland, she saw African-American doctors and nurses for the first time. This made a big difference to her. She remembered another nurse who helped her, saying it "gave me some confidence in knowing [that I] could succeed."

Advocating for Diversity

In 1969, Dr. Wykle took a teaching job at Case Western Reserve University. She saw this as a chance to help more minority nursing students get accepted. She directed a special graduate nursing program for geriatric psychiatry. This created many opportunities for nurses, especially African-American students, to specialize in caring for older people's mental health.

When she became a dean at the nursing school, Dr. Wykle made sure many minority students, especially African-American students, enrolled. She believed that fewer minority applicants were applying because they weren't encouraged enough. She also thought they needed more financial help. So, she pushed for more minority teachers to be role models. She also worked with high school counselors to find more students from diverse backgrounds.

Because of her efforts, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has a great record of keeping minority students in their programs. In 2007, the school created the May L. Wykle Endowed Professorship. This special teaching position was named after her because of her dedication and leadership in nursing. It was one of the first at Case Western to be named for an African-American person.

See also

• American Academy of Nursing
• Gerontology
• Gerontological Society of America
• List of Living Legends of the American Academy of Nursing