YHA Nurses Alumni group disbands after 50-plus years

CANFIELD -- Jeannie Bryner may not have a background in science, but she knows that if a milk bottle is placed near a mountain during a blizzard, gravity will allow only a few snowflakes to strike the object.

"People just don't understand how important history is," Bryner, of Newton Falls, said.

Bryner, a researcher, published author and retired nurse, used the analogy to underscore what she feels is vitally important for those who leave the nursing profession to write, then save and share stories of their journeys in the profession. Otherwise, they likely will be forgotten and erased, she said.

Bryner was the guest presenter for the Youngstown Hospital Association of Nurses Alumni's final meeting Saturday afternoon at Al La Cart Catering, 429 Lisbon St., before the organization will discontinue after more than 50 years, primarily because of a lack of new members.

Specifically, Bryner's published works include "Tenderly Lift Me: Nurses Honored, Celebrated and Remembered," "Eclipse: Stories" and "No Matter How Many Windows."

During her presentation, Bryner, who also earned a bachelor's degree in 1996 from Kent State University at Trumbull's Honor College, cited several examples of those who entered nursing and later kept a written record of their experiences and contributions during their careers. Many of those are outlined in an anthology she referenced, titled "Learning to Heal: Reflections on Nursing School in Poetry and Prose."

They included Helen L. Albert, who, in the mid-1940s, became the first black registered nurse hired in Trumbull County soon after having moved to Warren from her native Alabama. In 1960, she founded Albert's Nursing Home, which she ran for 35 years before retiring in 1995 after a 50-year nursing career.

"She always wanted to be a flight nurse," Bryner said, referring to Sandy Sarsary, an instructor and transcriptionist at the former Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren.

Sarsary, who graduated in the TMH Class of 1960, flew on her first mission at age 47. By 1986, she had been part of more than 400 such missions, Bryner noted.

Also discussed was Minnie Brown Carter, who celebrated her 100th birthday in March. The Hampton University graduate and U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps member contributed to local literary events and festivals.

In addition, Carter was trained during the polio epidemic and spent more than 40 years as a registered nurse who also helped integrate hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area before she was honored in 2020 with the President's Award from the American Nurses Association, Bryner noted.

Another nurse of great achievement and acclaim was Rosa M. Sacharin, a child refugee, pediatric nurse and educator who spent most of her life in Scotland. Sacharin, who was deaf and nearly blind, was part of the Kindertransport Project after having escaped the Nazis in December 1938 at age 13 via traveling alone by train to England from her native Berlin. The series of British rescue efforts between 1938 and 1940 saved an estimated 10,000 refugees and other children, according to the U.S. Holocaust Museum's website.

"She was an iconic nurse. If you say her name in Scotland, it's like saying the name Florence Nightingale," Bryner said.

She also mentioned Benjamin Melnykovich, who serves as trauma outreach and injury prevention coordinator at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. In addition, he worked as course director and Trauma Nursing Core Course instructor.

Toward the end of her lecture, Bryner expressed concern regarding the closure of area hospitals, saying it has cost lives and is part of a growing national problem. In the past several years, about 192 hospitals have closed in Appalachia, she noted.

"We have problems, so we have to come together," Bryner said, adding, "We can't wait for our legislators to act."

Before her talk, Brian A. Nord, the Youngstown State University Foundation's chief development officer, thanked the alumni organization for its scholarship endowment to the foundation.

The YHA Nurse Alumni scholarship was established in 2001, with the purpose of aiding and attracting students who are planning to major in nursing to become RNs, Nord noted. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students who have been accepted in the nursing program and who carry a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, according to the endowment agreement.

The YHA Nurse Alumni scholarship had a $67,654 ending market value as of June 30, Nord said, adding that a $2,300 award amount will be available for the 2027-28 academic year.

Also during Saturday's three-hour luncheon and program, Nurse Honor Guard of Eastern Ohio members rang a bell to honor nurses who are deceased. They also distributed red roses and certificates to attendees to thank them for their nursing service.

Red roses symbolize many attributes associated with the profession, such as comfort, kindness, compassion and unwavering devotion, Joanne Kerrigan of Girard, the alumni organization's president, said.