Arkansas Nurses Association
On October 30, 1912, twenty-four Arkansas nurses gathered at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in Little Rock (Pulaski County) to form the Arkansas State Graduate Nurse Association; in the twenty-first century, it is known as the Arkansas Nurses Association (ARNA). Then, as now, the association sought to promote professional standards for nursing education and practice through legislation, curriculum development, workplace policy recommendations, and general advocacy for the profession. Irene Howard Adylett led the organizational meeting attended by nurses from Little Rock, Fort Smith (Sebastian County), Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), Hot Springs (Garland County), Batesville (Independence County), Eureka Springs (Carroll County), and Fayetteville (Washington County). Aydlett was elected the first president and Katherine Dillon the first vice president. Little Rock …
