<!-- FH = ALEXANDER, ELISABETH -->MacDONALD, Dr. Gwendoline Ruth, died May 10, 2012 after a brief hospital stay. She served in the Army Nursing Corp in World War II and was stationed in England. She was also Dean of Nursing at Michigan State University, The University of Miami and was the first Dean of Nursing at the University of South Florida. "Gwendoline MacDonald will always be remembered as a leader in the nursing profession and as the founding Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida," said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, Senior Associate Vice President of USF Health, and Dean of the College of Nursing. "Little did Gwen realize when she opened the doors to the USF College of Nursing in August 1973 with just 9 faculty and 41 students, that we would grow over the next 40 years into one of the premier nursing programs in the nation! Dr. Gwen MacDonald was a visionary leader in the nursing profession and she will be missed by us all. However, her legacy can be seen every day in Tampa Bay and across the world by the millions of patients who have, and continue to receive, skilled and compassionate care from over 7,000 USF nurses, or who benefit from the innovative research conducted by USF nurse faculty, and alumni." Gwendoline R. MacDonald, EdD, RN had many accomplishments in her career at USF. She began the USF College of Nursing in 1973. Under her leadership, the College received its first accreditation from the National League for Nursing in 1975 in time for the graduation of the charter class. In 1976, the College had grown into a new building and was serving students across three branch campuses. By 1980, Dean MacDonald saw much hard work rewarded as she welcomed the first 16 students into the newly formed master's program in Adult Health Nursing. By the time of her retirement in 1987, the master's program had expanding to include nursing specialties in Gerontology, Psychiatric/Mental Health, Public Community Health and Oncology. Today, the USF College of Nursing is ranked 25th in the nation in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, has over 1,300 students in BS, MS, PhD, and DNP degree programs, and has awarded 7,987 degrees in total. Gwen loved animals especially her cat and was an avid reader. She will be missed by her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, friends of Dr. MacDonald can help keep her legacy alive with a donation in her memory to the Gwendoline MacDonald Scholarship in Nursing. University of South Florida College of Nursing, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Box 22, Tampa, FL 33612-4766 reference fund #276060.