Eunice King

Eunice Bassett King passed from this life on Sunday January 30, 2011.Services will be at 2 PM Friday in Polk Street Methodist Sanctuary. Burialwill follow at Llano Cemetery. Family visitation will be at Schooler Funeral Home, on Georgia St, Thursday evening 6:30-8:00 pm.Life began for Eunice Bassett King in Venus, New Mexico in 1921. Parents were Oscar and Clara May Bassett. Eunice's mother, Clara May, had a rich ancestral heritage and an independent pioneering spirit. She was a decedent of the James Taylor family, who immigrated to America from England in 1660. From this lineage came two Presidents of the United States- James Madison and Zachary Taylor. In 1891, at the age of 1; Clara May's family joined a covered wagon train in Cherokee Co, North Carolina on a transcontinental trek. Clara May's great-grandfather had married Mary, a full blooded Cherokee Indian and the family moved west to claim a homestead in the Oklahoma Territory. It is there Clara May met and married Oscar Bassett. True to their pioneer spirit, they traveled to the base of the Sandia Mountains about 30 miles east of Albuquerque, to homestead the land, which was to become the Bassett Ranch. Eunice described Venus as a rural village of about 50 families. Venus is now known as Edgewood, N M. Many of the Bassett decedents still reside there. Eunice's five siblings preceeded her in death. As a young girl, Eunice contracted typhoid fever and was hospitalized for six weeks. There she got a glimpse of the work of the doctors and nurses, which kindled in her a great respect and interest in the medical field. As was once written about her "She hasn't really been out of a hospital since."Upon high school graduation, her career plan was solid in her mind. Herdream of becoming a nurse brought her to Amarillo in 1939, to attendNorthwest Texas Hospital School of Nursing. The school she later shewould Dean. Nursing school was tough. Less than half of each nursing classgraduated, but Eunice prevailed and even found time for some social life.On Dee 7, 1941 she along with other students were attending a movie atthe Paramount Theater, when a bulletin was flashed on the screenannouncing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This changed the livesand plans of many young men, doctors, and nurses. Many answered thecall to join the Armed Forces and immediately deployed. This embeddedin her mind the critical problem a nursing shortage can create. Therefore,she dedicated her career to making certain the panhandle could producehigh quality nurses. This was accomplished by creating regional andinterinstutional programs in nursing education and other allied fields.During this time she met and married Turner King. They briefly relocatedto Roswell N.M., where he was stationed during World War II. There sheworked in the hospital as a Charge Nurse on the Ob/Gyn Floor and lateras the chief Nurse in the Outpatient clinic. When her husband wasdeployed to Korea she moved to California, where she was a nurse to themovie stars.Following World War II, the Kings moved back to Amarillo, and Eunicebegan her long association with Northwest Texas Hospital. Her 40 yearcareer at Northwest saw her rise through the ranks. She continuedgrowing professionally and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree, aMaster of Education from West Texas State University, and did postgraduate study in Administration and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing atthe University of Texas. She completed additional postgraduate study inAdministration and Management at the University of Texas and Texas A&MUniversity. During her years as director of the Northwest Texas School of Nursing,the school enrollment grew from 55 to 348 students, and became thelargest diploma school in the state of Texas. Eunice was a positive force in developing a Licensed Vocational NurseProgram and the Associate Degree Program in Nursing at AmarilloCollege. She was also instrumental in launching the BaccalaureateProgram and a Master's Program in Nursing at West Texas StateUniversity. It was here she served as dean of the Department of Nursingfor four years. Her career with the Amarillo Hospital District included:Director of Nursing, Director of the School of Nursing, administrator of theDivision of Professional Patient Services and Education, administrator ofthe Division of Mental Health Services and Education, and as actingexecutive director in 1973 and 1982. She co-authored nursing textbooksthat were published both nationally and internationally.In 1986, Eunice retired after forty active years in the health care field.The Eunice King Scholarship at Amarillo College was established in herhonor at retirement, which has furthered the education of many nursingstudents in the area. Eunice did not consider "retirement" a valid word inher vocabulary. She saw it as a time to move on to other pursuits. Sheserved as a visiting professor at several universities in the state,presented workshops on management, and various motivationalprograms, Eunice was instrumental in establishing two different programsin Amarillo, with the common goal of promoting independent living for thehandicapped and elderly. She earned a national award for her role indeveloping the Amarillo Multi-Service Center for Aging, which includes theJan Werner Adult Day Care Center. After that, Eunice established the WidowPersons Service, a division of the AARP for Amarillo, where she served asthe president. Meanwhile, Eunice was also president of a familycorporation, which developed residential and commercial subdivisions onher parents original homestead in New Mexico. Eunice's contributions and achievements are numerous.Local highlights include:Amarillo Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi's Woman of the Year in 1965, TexasPanhandle Distinguished Service Award 1976, Amarillo Women'sNetwork Career Achievement Award in 1983, Amarillo Globe TimesWoman of the Year 1984, President of Chamber of Commerce Women'sDivision, and a loyal advocate for meals on wheels.Statewide level achievements include:Appointed to the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas byGov. John Connelly and served a 6 year term, and then reappointed byGov. Preston Smith for another 6 year term. She served as President ofthe state Board for two terms. In 1965 she was elected President ofTexas League for Nursing.Achievements at the national level include:Elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1976, theonly nurse at that time in the Panhandle to receive this honor, appointedto the National League for Nursing Board of Review for AccreditingNursing Programs, appointed to U.S. Department of Health, Educationand Welfare Grants Review Committee, recipient of the National Leaguefor Nurses "Community Long Term Care Award", and was listed in "Who'sWho in American Nursing".In addition to her professional career, she maintained a full personal lifewhich included her family, friends, PEO group, and many volunteer andnursing associates. She was a lifetime member of Polk Street MethodistChurch, and a member and teacher of the Susanna Wesley class. Fromthe simple beginnings of a young RN to a full life of accomplishments.Eunice remained unchanged - a nurturer, innovator, educator,administrator, mother and grandmother. She will be greatly missed.

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