Transcript of interview with Elizabeth Frances by Emily Powers, July 22, 2008

Elizabeth Frances, born in Laramie, Wyoming in 1931, was the fourth of nine children. Her father was a plasterer until WWII, when he went to work in the shipyards in Washington State. The family then moved to Salem, Oregon, and Elizabeth attended high school there through her junior year. She actually finished high school in Saratoga, Wyoming, becoming the first of her siblings to graduate. Elizabeth married the same year she graduated (1949) and followed her husband's quest for work to Oregon and California. It was in Santa Rosa that she entered into university course work for her LPN degree. Once they moved to Las Vegas, she entered the LPN program at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital (now UMC) and graduated in 1965. During her five years in the ER at Memorial Hospital, Elizabeth entered the two year RN program at UNLV, graduating in 1971. She left the hospital to work for Dr. Fink for two years. She shares descriptions, explanations, and anecdotes about her time there, including much of the on-the-job training she received from the doctor. In 1973, Elizabeth was offered the opportunity to teach at the LPN school she had started with, and she also went back to UNLV for her baccalaureate degree (1977). She worked for Workmen's Compensation for four years and details the team components, job requirements, and the new-found respect that the teams garnered from doctors. Elizabeth was called to Sunrise Hospital in 1978 to fill a new position under the education department and worked there for 18 years. Though she has seen many innovations in medicine due to advancing technology, Elizabeth believes that basic nursing skills involving observation and knowledge of the patient are still of primary importance. After retirement, Elizabeth began working full time for the museum in Lorenzi Park. She worked in all areas and was docent for many years. She and other docents created their own program and study, travel, and read to further their art education. Elizabeth paints in oils and watercolors, has held exhibitions, and recently built an art gallery in her own home.