In memoriam: Eunice Cole

Eunice Cole, BSN, RN, former president of WSNA and president of the American Nurses Association, died at home on Sept. 15, 2024. Her son Mark and wife Margaret were by her side. Eunice was a champion of the right for nurses to bargain during the 1970s and received many honors for her work as a nurse advocate.

Eunice served as WSNA president from 1974 to 1976 and was elected to a four-year term as president of ANA in 1978. She was inducted into the Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame in 2022.

Judy Huntington, WSNA’s executive director for nearly 19 years, said: "Eunice was an amazing, vibrant, loving person. A wonderful mother and true and loyal friend to so many. Those of us who knew and worked with Eunice know what a nursing icon, role model, leader, and mentor she was."

Eunice was known for her calm, steady and skillful leadership under pressure, both as a nurse administrator in acute and long-term care settings and as an association leader and political activist within WSNA and ANA.

She received her nursing diploma from St. Joseph School of Nursing in Bellingham, and a BSN from the University of Washington. After graduation, Eunice worked as a staff nurse and clinical instructor until 1965 when she became the director of nursing services at St Luke's General Hospital in Bellingham, a position she held until 1976.

An early nurse entrepreneur, Eunice opened her nurse-owned surgical supply and home care center in Bellingham, which she ran for 12 years before becoming a director of nursing in long-term care.

Eunice was also active in her Bellingham community serving on the Whatcom County Emergency Medical Services Council for five years and the Whatcom County Health Advisory Board for 10 years. She also served as an advisor to the Western Washington University Nursing program for 10 years and advisor to the Bellingham Practical Nursing Program for nearly 25 years.

As WSNA president from 1972-1974, Eunice ushered in a new era of collective bargaining for nurses — a tumultuous period in WSNA history. In 1972, Washington state passed a bill backed by WSNA providing binding arbitration if contract negotiations reached an impasse and a strike was imminent. This law was later superseded by changes to the National Labor Relations Act in 1974, which granted private sector nurses and other healthcare employees the right to organize and collectively bargain for wages, hours, and working conditions.

Eunice faced great pressure from nurse administrator colleagues and her own hospital administration to prevent collective bargaining. However, even at the risk of her own job, Eunice calmly stood her ground and continued to advocate for staff nurse involvement in decision-making and their right to bargain for wages, hours, and working conditions. She provided an exemplary role model for other managers and directors of nursing, continuing her active role in WSNA and refusing to be intimidated by this pressure. This won her great respect and admiration of nurses in all roles. In 1976, WSNA awarded Eunice the ANA Honorary Recognition award for her outstanding leadership and contributions to WSNA.

Eunice was elected to a four-year term on the ANA Board of Directors in 1978 and served as chair of the ANA political action committee. Eunice was elected as president of the ANA in 1982, where she implemented many projects and initiatives that had an enduring impact on ANA.

Even while fulfilling the enormous demands of the ANA presidency, Eunice continued to be involved in Washington state and WSNA and her contributions were frequently recognized. In 1981, she was appointed to a two-year term on the Washington State Board of Health. In 1982, the mayor of Bellingham and the Whatcom County Executive proclaimed "Eunice Cole Day" in her honor. In 1983 she received Honorary Recognition by the Washington State Legislature.

A celebration of life is being planned with details to follow.