In Celebration of Mary's Love and Life (2)
Backstory of the Poem
Last week I started a five-week program in Nurse Aide 1 training. On Thursday afternoon, the co-founder of the academy, Dr. Rona Tankard, invited the students to join a small party the next day in honor of Mary’s receipt of her high school diploma. Some were asked to sing. I was asked to read a poem.
I had never met Mary. All I knew about Mary was the following:
It had taken Mary forty years to complete her high school diploma. She had learned she could finish it through a correspondence course. She received her diploma in the mail on January 31, 2024.
Mary was one of the first employees of the business Dr. Rona and her husband, Dr. Perry Tankard, had opened, named to honor Dr. Rona’s father, William A. Reeves, the first Black male nurse in North Carolina.
A decade later, when the Tankards had closed the business, Mary called Dr. Rona every day and to ask if they had re-opened yet. Mary called every day. For five years. For five years, she called every day.
It is when the Tankards re-opened the business that they discovered the difficulty in finding trained nurse’s aides. They founded the W.A.R. Memorial Nurse Aide 1 Training Academy to add to the supply.
Cause and effect: If Mary hadn’t called Dr. Rona Tankard every day for five years, I wouldn’t be in a Nurse Aide training program now.
I love the program. I love the content of the material. I love the kindness, patience and good humor of our instructor, Ms. Shavonne, RN. I’m inspired by the leadership and encouragement of the Tankards. I am learning from the enthusiasm, companionship, and life experiences of my fellow students.
I asked for a poem to express my appreciation to Miss Mary. Here is the poem.
