In a tribute to two remarkable women in nursing, Terri Drell Schwartz, a Moraine Park Technical College retiree, has established two scholarships at Moraine Park: the Gertrude Bleicher Drell Memorial Scholarship and the Josephine Roehrborn Memorial Scholarship. The scholarships, established in 2021, aim to support nursing students with affordable education while honoring the legacies of two women who made significant contributions to the field of nursing.
Schwartz worked as a Moraine Park Nursing instructor from 1990 to 2006. In recognition of her 40th anniversary as a registered nurse (RN), she retired from her full-time position. During the next 18 years, she worked part-time in the Nursing Assistant program. During this time, she also volunteered with the Red Cross, engaged in political activities, volunteered at hospice, traveled and distracted herself from the worries that come with a son in the Marine Corps.
“During the 16 years I spent teaching at Moraine Park and getting to know the nursing students, I was so impressed with these individuals,” Schwartz said. “I could also see the hardships they endured in being students, especially the cost.”
The Gertrude Bleicher Drell Memorial Scholarship
Schwartz established the Gertude Bleicher Drell Memorial Scholarship in memory of her mother. Drell, who graduated from the Belmont Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago in 1933, dedicated more than 70 years of her life to nursing. Known for her spirited personality and compassionate care, she looked after her patients with encouragement and a sense of humor.
Drell was dedicated to not only her professional life but also to her role as a widowed mother. She worked double shifts to pay for her four daughters’ education, covering tuition for their undergraduate, graduate and law school studies. Her unwavering commitment resulted in raising a journalist, a lawyer, a nurse and a professor.
Drell passed away in 2014 at the age of 101. The scholarship in her name aims to provide nursing students at Moraine Park with the financial support they need to pursue their education and continue Drell’s tradition of compassionate patient care.
The Josephine Roehrborn Memorial Scholarship
The Josephine Roehrborn Memorial Scholarship was created to honor Schwartz’s friend and supervisor at Moraine Park, who dedicated her professional life to her passion for nursing.
Roehrborn began her career in obsterics and later worked in a long-term care facility. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degreees, Roehrborn joined Moraine Park as the Administrator of the Nursing program, where she significantly influenced both students and faculty with her commitment to excellence.
“I had the honor for my early years at Moraine Park of having the best boss of my career—Josephine Roehrborn,” Schwartz said. “After we both retired, we became friends and my respect and love for her grew even more. Hence when she passed, I wanted a way to ensure that the scholarships to students would perpetuate her name and legacy.”
Roehrborn was known for her belief in the potential of each individual to achieve their dreams, her advocacy for those in need, and her warm-hearted, approachable nature. Her legacy lives on through the many students and colleagues she inspired. The scholarship named in her honor helps students afford their education, continuing Roehrborn’s mission of supporting and nurturing future generations of nurses.
Through the establishment of these scholarships, Schwartz not only provides financial assistance, but also celebrates the lives and values of two women who dedicated their lives to the nursing profession, ensuring the legacies of Gertrude Bleicher Drell and Josephine Roehrborn will continue to inspire and support nursing students at Moraine Park for years to come.