NEW YORK NURSE: April 2011
Susan J. Fraley, MS, RN, past president of NYSNA and of the Foundation of New York State Nurses, and former executive director of the foundation and of Nurses House, passed away on March 26, 2011.
Fraley retired as director of the foundation in July 2010, after serving in that post for seven years. At the foundation, she oversaw a staff dedicated to improving health care, health consciousness and public understanding, and the utilization of professional nurses.
Fraley was a skilled nursing clinician who held senior nursing executive positions in hospitals and other healthcare organizations. In addition to participating in a wide range of nursing and community organizations, her extensive leadership roles included serving as co-president of the Northeastern New York Organization of Nurse Executives (NYONE), a member of the board of directors of the Capital District Nurses Association, and a member of the Russell Sage Colleges of Nursing Advisory Council. She was the recipient of NYSNA’s Nursing Service Administration and Legislative awards, the NYONE Excellence in Programming Award, and the Capital District Nurses Association Distinguished Member Award.
“I deeply appreciate the opportunities to have been part of the foundation, its mission, and work, and to work in the beautiful Veronica M. Driscoll Center for Nursing,” Fraley said in an interview upon her retirement. “My decision to retire is bittersweet. I have relished the challenges and satisfactions of this position, but I know the time is right for me to direct my full energies to personal and voluntary professional pursuits.”
One of those pursuits was growing violets. Fraley was a past president of the New York State African Violet Society and was a well-regarded judge in violet-growing circles. She discussed this passion in a feature article in the Albany Times Union on May 6, 2006, which was, coincidently,NYSNA Past President Susan Fraley passes away
Susan J. Fraley, MS, RN, past president of NYSNA and of the Foundation of New York State Nurses, and former executive director of the foundation and of Nurses House, passed away on March 26, 2011.
Fraley retired as director of the foundation in July 2010, after serving in that post for seven years. At the foundation, she oversaw a staff dedicated to improving health care, health consciousness and public understanding, and the utilization of professional nurses.
Fraley was a skilled nursing clinician who held senior nursing executive positions in hospitals and other healthcare organizations. In addition to participating in a wide range of nursing and community organizations, her extensive leadership roles included serving as co-president of the Northeastern New York Organization of Nurse Executives (NYONE), a member of the board of directors of the Capital District Nurses Association, and a member of the Russell Sage Colleges of Nursing Advisory Council. She was the recipient of NYSNA’s Nursing Service Administration and Legislative awards, the NYONE Excellence in Programming Award, and the Capital District Nurses Association Distinguished Member Award.
“I deeply appreciate the opportunities to have been part of the foundation, its mission, and work, and to work in the beautiful Veronica M. Driscoll Center for Nursing,” Fraley said in an interview upon her retirement. “My decision to retire is bittersweet. I have relished the challenges and satisfactions of this position, but I know the time is right for me to direct my full energies to personal and voluntary professional pursuits.”
One of those pursuits was growing violets. Fraley was a past president of the New York State African Violet Society and was a well-regarded judge in violet-growing circles. She discussed this passion in a feature article in the Albany Times Union on May 6, 2006, which was, coincidently, National Nurses Day. A care-giver to more than 400 violets, Fraley spoke in particular of the hardiness of “space violets”— offspring of seeds tested in space for nearly six years. “Violets like warmth, humidity…but the most important thing is consistency. If you water them every four days, then water them every four days, no matter what,” she told the Times Union.
Though known for her love of flowers, Fraley was also a devoted animal lover and advocate.
Foundation President Joan Madden Wilson praised Fraley upon her retirement as a “highly distinguished and respected nursing leader who has dedicated her career to improving the healthcare delivery system and patient care, advancing the nursing profession, and enhancing its capacity to serve society.”
National Nurses Day. A care-giver to more than 400 violets, Fraley spoke in particular of the hardiness of “space violets”— offspring of seeds tested in space for nearly six years. “Violets like warmth, humidity…but the most important thing is consistency. If you water them every four days, then water them every four days, no matter what,” she told the Times Union.
Though known for her love of flowers, Fraley was also a devoted animal lover and advocate.
Foundation President Joan Madden Wilson praised Fraley upon her retirement as a “highly distinguished and respected nursing leader who has dedicated her career to improving the healthcare delivery system and patient care, advancing the nursing profession, and enhancing its capacity to serve society.”