Elinor Caddell: A birthday centennial celebration capped with state’s highest honor

Care, compassion and action are three words that epitomize the life and service of Elinor Caddell, UNC Charlotte professor emerita of nursing.

Colleagues, alumni, friends and admirers gathered in the College of Health and Human Services Monday, Dec. 5, to celebrate Caddell’s 100th birthday, surprising her with the presentation of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s highest honors. Given by the governor, the award recognizes recipients for having made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.

Dena Evans, director of the School of Nursing, noted, “Elinor Caddell impacted the lives of countless students, families, communities and future generations of North Carolina and beyond. Even today, at age 100, she continues to give of herself. She is a nursing trailblazer, mentor and leader.”

The path to nursing

In 1941, during World War II, Caddell, a Central High School graduate, enrolled in the armed forces cadet corps, which provided a stipend and training through the Charlotte Memorial School of Nursing. The 17-year-old Caddell proved to be an outstanding student, and when the war ended in 1945, she took additional courses at Queens University before entering the baccalaureate program at Duke University, where she later completed a master’s degree in nursing. From 1960 to 1965, Caddell taught on the faculty at Duke.

University founder Bonnie Cone and Edith Brocker, founding dean of the College of Nursing (now the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human Services), implored Caddell to return home and join the faculty of UNC Charlotte. Doing so in 1965, Caddell became the University’s second nursing faculty member.

Helping to build the University’s nursing program

Caddell, aware of the need for RNs to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, helped establish the Pathway Program Completion at UNC Charlotte, which has produced thousands of UNC Charlotte alumni.

She also led her colleagues in obtaining a grant to develop the Master of Science in Nursing outreach program with Chapel Hill. For six years, she took students to Chapel Hill by some very unusual transportation methods, including a twin-engine plane. She also wrote the curriculum for the MSN program in the University’s College of Nursing.

In 1970, Caddell was the first member of the nursing faculty to receive the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2013, the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association bestowed upon her its Honorary Alumna Award. Other accolades include 1990’s Outstanding Nurse Educator, presented by the North Carolina Nurses Association, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Carolinas College of Health Sciences in 2006.

After her retirement in 1989, Caddell established a Faculty Scholar Award for Nursing to serve as seed money for research to improve patient care.

Lynn Dobson ’70 recalled Caddell as an ambassador for her former students, colleagues and staff. “She always inquired about your future plans, how are you growing as a professional nurse and how are you growing as a person. She modeled being active in the Charlotte community, working behind the scenes to build the reputation of nursing at UNC Charlotte.”

Continual service to others

In retirement, Caddell moved to Plantation Estates Retirement Community, where she later reconnected with Scott McNeish ’82, who became director of nursing over independent and assisted living in 1995. As a volunteer, Caddell began “one of the most amazing careers of service to others I have ever seen,” he said.

McNeish said she organized office hours and replenished supplies so he and his staff could spend more time with patients, and she enhanced the process to obtain residents’ insurance and family contact information.

Among her many other contributions were:

• Systemizing patient charts by purchasing new folders to replace used, dog-eared ones
• Educating residents on the use of a new emergency alert system
• Comforting residents as a compassionate friend until a staff member could intercede
• Transporting patients to medical appointments and church services and arranging communion
• Running errands as needed for residents
• Assisting with outreach programs and serving on the Chaplain’s Committee

“It overwhelms me to think about all this wonderful woman has done for people personally, in this retirement community, as a nurse educator and philanthropist,” said McNeish. “She has led a life in service to the Lord, her fellow man, her community and her state and done it selflessly with her whole heart.”