Annette Stauber Cohn, RN, will be 100 years old on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Ms. Cohn enrolled in the former Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing (now Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel) in 1940. At that time, it was a three-year diploma program.
Back then, the nursing students resided on two floors of the hospital. As at other nursing schools of the time, students conformed to strict standards of behavior, dress, and health habits. A housemother made rounds every night at 10 pm. A dress inspection was conducted weekly, and the students were weighed to make sure they did not “get too heavy” since it was perceived as a professional necessity that nurses possess the required stamina and “look well.” The uniforms were green. Because World War II was on, there were no silk stockings, rayon was too expensive, and nylon was being used for parachutes, which left black cotton hose. By the end of the day their feet would be purple.
All the instruction was provided by the physicians and nurses at the hospital. Students worked 12-hour shifts six days a week on the hospital wards, and attended classes in between their other duties. In return, they were given housing, uniforms, and books and were paid a small monthly allowance.
Although times were different and certainly much stricter, Ms. Cohn fondly recalls her time in New York City, first as a student and later as a registered nurse. On weekends, she would visit museums, galleries, and flower markets, and attend free concerts. An avid lover of the arts, she once took a group of nursing students to the opera, where they bought standing-room tickets.
She began her nursing career at Beth Israel Hospital when she was asked to work directly for the hospital and nursing school director, Dorothea Daniels. This was quite a testament to Ms. Cohn’s skills, since Ms. Daniels had a reputation as “a woman to be reckoned with.” Her first assignment was to review nursing applications and later she taught at the nursing school.
It was at Beth Israel Hospital that Ms. Cohn met the love of her life, Perry David Cohn, MD, who completed his residency and internship in pediatrics at the hospital. They were engaged when World War II broke out; Dr. Cohn was drafted and served his country as a physician. He finished his tour with an honorable discharge, but then received orders to return and was stationed in Georgia. These events kept delaying their marriage and so they decided to have a small wedding in New York City and then move to Georgia together. Eventually they made their way back up North to New Jersey where they later built a house in Passaic.
Like most physicians back then, her husband operated his practice out of their home. During those early years, Ms. Cohn was for the most part a homemaker with three children, but she also worked as a nurse alongside her husband when it was very busy. When the children were older, she returned to nursing practice full-time. Over the years her family grew to include three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Upon retirement, she and her husband enjoyed traveling and New York theatre, opera, and ballets. Ms. Cohn always had an eye for art and she enjoyed taking lessons in sculpture and art (paintings and pastels), along with gardening, knitting, and needlepoint, and, of course, spending time with her family and friends.
Fond memories of her time in nursing school and living in New York City led Ms. Cohn to write a memoir (“Out of Time and Place”) about those early days. Recognizing how important the school was to Ms. Cohn, for her 85th birthday her children established a graduation award in her name. Ms. Cohn was delighted to attend the pinning and graduation ceremonies annually and have the opportunity to share some of her experiences with the students and personally congratulate the recipients of her honorary award.
When asked what the secret to such a long life is, she did not hesitate to say, “Having a wonderful husband, fantastic children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and the support of my friends and exceptional health care providers.”