Our Donors & Their Gifts
Betty Ann Countryman ’44 M.N.
“Why do I make gifts to a Yale pooled income fund? Because I love Yale!” remarks Betty Ann Countryman ’44 M.N. “I’m proud to support the School of Nursing, which is why I make additions to the pooled fund from time to time. I have a large family that includes six children, fifteen grandchildren, and thirteen great grandchildren. I can always think of a family member I’d like to help with the additional income I receive from the fund.”
Betty Ann continues, “Yale changed my life. My first twenty years were all about ‘the mind.’ I excelled in science courses and loved research. During my senior year at Radcliffe, I made the decision to attend Yale School of Nursing where I also learned about ‘the heart.’ YSN opened my mind and awakened my heart.”
“I loved working directly with patients and met my husband, Frank ’42, ‘44 M.D., while assigned to a surgical clinic at Yale. It was during World War II and medical units everywhere were shorthanded. As we were about to end our shift, a call came over the loud speaker requesting that all available personnel report to the emergency room. For many hours, Frank and I worked side by side caring for a mother and her baby who were burn victims. You learn a lot about a person when you are put in that type of situation…we were together as a couple ever since.”
Frank passed away in 2006, and Betty Ann now finds it comforting to have
so many family members nearby. Her grandson, Nicholas ’05 M.D.,’05
M.B.A., is a third-year resident in the department of dermatology at Indiana
University Medical School. Nick met his wife, Cynthia Darling ’03
M.S.N., while he was attending the School of Medicine and she was a student
at YSN. Betty Ann concludes, “Their meeting, courtship, and marriage
are so reminiscent of Frank’s and mine. I call them my Yale déjà vu.”