May Wykle facts for kids

May Louise Hinton-Wykle is an American nurse, educator, and researcher. She is known for her work with older adults, a field called gerontology. She was the first African-American to hold a special leadership position (the Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Endowed Chair) at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. Wykle also teaches nursing at Georgia Southwestern State University. She focuses on caring for older people, mental health, and helping more minority students join nursing.

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. A nurse's aide helps nurses with patient care.

Her grandmother was a big inspiration for her career choice. May often helped her mother care for her grandparents, who lived with them. Her grandmother also did a lot of charity work, which showed May how 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 in Ohio. After graduating, she worked as a staff nurse at the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute. A staff nurse provides direct care to patients. She later became a head nurse and then a supervisor, leading other nurses.

In 1962, she went back to school to get her bachelor's degree in nursing. She then returned to the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute as an instructor, teaching new nurses. She also became the director of nursing education, in charge of nurse training.

May Wykle continued her studies at Case Western Reserve University. In 1969, she earned her master's degree in psychiatric nursing, which focuses on mental health. Later, she earned her PhD in nursing. Her teachers were very impressed with her, and they asked her to join the university's teaching staff. She has been a faculty member there ever since.

Personal Life

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

Career Highlights

May Wykle is a leading 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, including promoting healthy habits. Her research also looked at caregiving for people with HIV and differences between Black and White caregivers.

She is a respected member of the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America. These are important groups for nurses and experts on aging. She also received an award for her work in geriatric mental health from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Since joining Case Western Reserve University in 1969, she has held many important roles. These include being the Director of Nursing at Hanna Pavilion of University Hospitals of Cleveland. She was also the Chairperson of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and later the Dean of Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. A dean is a leader of a university school or college.

Important Contributions and Awards

• In 1993, Wykle was chosen to be a delegate for the White House Conference on Aging. This conference helps plan for the needs of older Americans.
• In 1999, she was the first person to receive the "Pope Eminent Scholar" award at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. She still serves on their board of directors.
• Also in 1999, Wykle was elected President of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. This is a global honor society for nursing.
• In 2005, she became a Director for the American Red Cross's Greater Cleveland Chapter.
• In 2011, she was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. This means she is recognized as one of the top nursing researchers in the world.
• In 2013, she served as an interim dean at Cuyahoga Community College. She helped the school with important issues related to its accreditation.

Professional Awards

• 1985: NIMH Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award
• 1992: The Outstanding Researcher in the State of Ohio
• 1999: Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Nursing Profession
• 1999: The Leadership Award for Excellence in Geriatric Care
• 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

Work on Minority Representation

Throughout her career, May Wykle worked hard to help more minority students enter the field of nursing. When she first applied to nursing schools, some denied her admission because of her race. However, she became the first African American to be accepted at the Ruth Brant School of Nursing.

When she started working at Martins Ferry Hospital, she was one of the very few African-American nurses in an all-White hospital. Later, when she studied in Cleveland, she saw African-American doctors and nurses for the first time. This made a big difference to her. She felt more confident knowing she could succeed.

In 1969, 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 opened up many opportunities, especially for African-American students, to specialize in caring for older adults with mental health needs.

Increasing Diversity in Nursing

As a dean at the nursing school, Wykle worked to keep a high number of minority students, especially African-American applicants. She believed that fewer minority students applied because they weren't encouraged enough and often needed financial help. So, she pushed for more minority faculty members to be role models. She also worked with high school counselors and teachers to find more students from diverse backgrounds.

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

Selected Publications

• Wykle, M. L., & Gueldner, S. H. (2010). Aging Well: Gerontological Education for Nurses. Sadbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
• Wykle, M. L., Gueldner, S. H. (2011). "Conclusions and Closing Comments." In Aging Well: gerontological Education for Nurses and Other Health Professionals. (pp. 579–582). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers
• Musil, C. M., Gordon, N. H., Warner, C. B. Zauszniewski, J. A., Standing, T. S., Wykle, M. L. (2011). Grandmothers and caregiving to grandchildren: Continuity, change and outcomes over 24 months. the Gerontologist, 51(1), 86–100. .
• Wykle, M. L., Whitehouse, P.J., Morris, D.L., (2004). Successful Aging Through the Life Span. New York, NY: Springer Publishing
• Wykle, M. L., & Ford, A. B. (1999). Serving Minority Elders in the 21st Century. New York, NY: Springer Publishing
• Wykle, M.L., Kahana, E., Biegel, D.E., (1994). Family Caregiving Across the Lifespan. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

See also

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