Remembering Dr. Beverly Witter Du Gas

VGH 1945  June 29, 1923 – November 22, 2012
Director VGH School of Nursing 1957-1965

It is with great sadness we notify you of the death of Dr.  Beverly Du Gas on November 22, 2012. Beverly graduated from VGH School of Nursing in 1945. Following graduation she moved to Seattle where she received a Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Washington.  After some time spent working in Seattle and San Francisco Beverly returned to VGH and was an instructor in the School and then promoted to Director in 1957. While Director, she introduced an integrated educational program and innovative teaching methods. At the request of the World Health Organization, Beverly left VGH to undertake an assignment in India.  In 1969 she obtained a Doctor of Education from UBC and continued her international work. In 1982, she joined the faculty at the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa and later became Director of the School, retiring in 1989.  During retirement she continued as a health planning consultant with many developing countries.  Beverly was an adjunct professor with the UBC School of Nursing and received numerous prestigious awards such as the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. She was an accomplished author of nursing textbooks which were adopted worldwide and  self- published two books of entertaining accounts of her travels and experiences. She was an inspiration to countless nurses as well as to her vast network of friends around the world and, most of all, to her family. Beverly leaves to mourn her four children: Bud (Peggy), Barbara (John), David (Linda), and Danny (Lenore), as well as seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

 A service will be held at St. Faith’s Anglican Church 7284 Cypress Street, Vancouver) at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 1. 2012

A more complete account of Beverly’s life and career will be published in the 2013 newsletter. 

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