Kathryn Groenevelt Family

This scholarship was established by Kathryn Groenevelt, a dedicated member of the nursing profession. Her desire was to contribute financial support as well as to encourage and influence nursing students to aspire to excellence and commitment in their nursing careers.

Kathryn graduated from Englewood Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago in 1941. Her education continued to include a BS in Public Health Nursing from the University of Michigan and a MA in Nursing Administration from Columbia University in New York.

Kathryn began her service as an RN with the VNA Community Health Service in Grand Rapids. She continued as a senior nurse and supervising nurse at Ottawa County Health Department. Throughout her career she also held positions of Director of Nursing at Holland City Hospital and Associate Director of Nursing at Butterworth in Grand Rapids. She returned to public health nursing in 1959 as Nursing Director for the Ottawa County Health Department and remained there until her retirement.

Kathryn was recognized as a great leader in her field at the local and state levels. She was selected as the 1977 recipient of the Public Service Award from Michigan Public Health Association which cited her innovations and attention to excellence in both hospital and public health nursing.

Kathryn will be remembered for her service to the community and exemplary dedication to nursing and to nurses’ training. Her concern for the patient, her empathy and her quiet insistence that humanity be appropriately served earned her recognition by her colleagues as “community health nurse’s community health nurse”.