On the recordFebruary 27, 2018
As Black History Month draws to a close, I wanted to recognize one of my constituents who left her own mark on history. Just 2 days ago, on February 25, 2018, Beaver County lost one of its treasures. A Mississippi native and alumni of Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Maria Delitha Green, fondly known as Dee, received a registered nursing license from the St. Francis School of Nursing in 1954. In 1955, she moved to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where she was hired on at Providence Hospital as the first African-American registered nurse in Beaver County. Eventually, she was promoted to head nurse. Dee faced many obstacles as an African-American nurse in the 1950s, such as the reality of segregated dormitory housing. However, she did not let those barriers discourage her, believing that people would accept her for who she was. A trailblazer and diligent worker, Dee loved her job and continued her career as a nurse for 36 years, until she retired in 1990. She was a blessing to those with whom she came in contact and remained a caregiver until her health declined at the end of 2017. We are grateful for her decades of exemplary service and the outstanding model that she was. May God grant her eternal rest, and may her family be consoled with many blessed memories. ____________________
