Remembering SON Alum and Pioneer Audrey J. Booth

Audrey J. Booth, RN, MSN ’57, one of the School’s true pioneers, passed away on September 29, 2019.

In 1957, Audrey was the first student to receive an MSN degree from the UNC School of Nursing. After practicing at NC Memorial Hospital for several years, she returned to the SON, where she served as associate dean for 12 years. During her tenure, she also served as the director of statewide activities for AHEC, the coordinator of clinical facilities, and as the first director of development for the School.

In recognition of her service to the School, Ms. Booth was named the first Alumna of the Year by the SON Alumni Association. A scholarship was also established in her name by Walter Royal Davis, a former member of the UNC Board of Governors.

A dedicated nurse leader throughout her life, she served as chair of the NC Board of Nursing for two terms, and was instrumental in achieving early legislation authorizing advanced practice for Nurse Practitioners. She was also a member of the Founding Committee for the NC Foundation for Nursing and of the Steering Committee for the Centennial Anniversary of the NC Nurses’ Association, helping to produce the award-winning film North Carolina Nursing: 100 years of Caring.

A memorial service will be held at Carol Woods Retirement Center, Chapel Hill, NC on November 2, 2019 at 3:30pm.

Memorials may be made to the Audrey Booth Nursing Scholarship online here, or by check to the Office of Advancement, UNC School of Nursing, 301 Carrington Hall CB# 7460, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, or the Triangle Land Conservancy, 1101 Haynes Street, Suite 205, Raleigh, NC 17604, or Doane College, Crete, NE 68333.

Her obituary can be found here.