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Wilda Reel Gift poses for this picture taken on her wedding day in 1961. (Submitted photo / February 16, 2013) |
Whether it was as an operating-room nurse, a proponent for the arts or enjoying the arts herself, Wilda Gift did it with commitment and in her own unique style.
The fourth of five children, Wilda was born and raised in Hagerstown. The children were raised by their mother and there wasn’t extra money for Wilda to go to proms and other formal events, said daughter Kathryn “Katy” Gift of Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Education was important to Wilda, who graduated from North Hagerstown High School and the Washington County Hospital School of Nursing.
She worked as an operating-room nurse, first at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, where she worked with and learned techniques for neurological surgeries from Dr. R Adams Cowley, husband Francis Gift said. Cowley is considered the pioneer of trauma care, and it is for him the hospital’s shock trauma center is named.
“I always felt she was a frustrated surgeon,” Francis said. “In our mind, she tried to learn as much as she could. It was astounding. Her medical knowledge was incredible.”
The bulk of Wilda’s 48-year nursing career was spent at Washington County Hospital. The respect she earned from the doctors gave her some latitude, such as the nicknames she called several doctors, which nobody else would have gotten away with, Katy said.
“The most distinctive thing about Wilda was she was fun-loving. Don’t get me wrong. She took her job seriously ... but she loved a good story,” said Dr. Hugh Talton, who worked with Wilda.
Wilda took her skills on the road, completing 17 medical mission trips to Mexico, Jamaica, Ecuador, Vietnam and Peru. The experiences expanded her circle of friends globally.
“She had a really outgoing personality,” Francis said. “She entertained people very easily. She had such a broad interest in art and government. She was constantly reading and had a bear-trap mind.”
Wilda Reel was living in Hagerstown and working at Washington County Hospital when she met Francis, who was a friend of her brother, Sam. He first noticed her when she ran out of her family home one time when he was visiting.
Their paths crossed again because both were involved with Potomac Playmakers and they would see each other at the group’s parties.
“I finally convinced her to have a date, with great difficulty,” said Francis, who was seven years older.
An only child who had grown up in Mercersburg, Pa., Francis moved to Hagerstown in 1952 to work for Statton Furniture as a designer. Already in his 30s, he said his parents had given up hope of there being any suitable prospects for him.
While they were dating, Wilda was considering whether to go to Richmond, Va., to get a graduate degree.
After they dated for about four months, Francis, afraid to risk purchasing a diamond, gave Wilda a charm of an engagement ring for her charm bracelet.
“That was the last I saw of her. I got no response at all. She wasn’t sure what was happening,” Francis said.
In the end, Wilda chose the engagement over graduate school. The couple married about eight months later in June 1961 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2011.
Jeannette Rinehart has known Wilda since she got married.
“She was feisty, very loyal, just a really good friend,” Jeannette said.
The fourth of five children, Wilda was born and raised in Hagerstown. The children were raised by their mother and there wasn’t extra money for Wilda to go to proms and other formal events, said daughter Kathryn “Katy” Gift of Bay St. Louis, Miss.
Education was important to Wilda, who graduated from North Hagerstown High School and the Washington County Hospital School of Nursing.
She worked as an operating-room nurse, first at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, where she worked with and learned techniques for neurological surgeries from Dr. R Adams Cowley, husband Francis Gift said. Cowley is considered the pioneer of trauma care, and it is for him the hospital’s shock trauma center is named.
“I always felt she was a frustrated surgeon,” Francis said. “In our mind, she tried to learn as much as she could. It was astounding. Her medical knowledge was incredible.”
The bulk of Wilda’s 48-year nursing career was spent at Washington County Hospital. The respect she earned from the doctors gave her some latitude, such as the nicknames she called several doctors, which nobody else would have gotten away with, Katy said.
“The most distinctive thing about Wilda was she was fun-loving. Don’t get me wrong. She took her job seriously ... but she loved a good story,” said Dr. Hugh Talton, who worked with Wilda.
Wilda took her skills on the road, completing 17 medical mission trips to Mexico, Jamaica, Ecuador, Vietnam and Peru. The experiences expanded her circle of friends globally.
“She had a really outgoing personality,” Francis said. “She entertained people very easily. She had such a broad interest in art and government. She was constantly reading and had a bear-trap mind.”
Wilda Reel was living in Hagerstown and working at Washington County Hospital when she met Francis, who was a friend of her brother, Sam. He first noticed her when she ran out of her family home one time when he was visiting.
Their paths crossed again because both were involved with Potomac Playmakers and they would see each other at the group’s parties.
“I finally convinced her to have a date, with great difficulty,” said Francis, who was seven years older.
An only child who had grown up in Mercersburg, Pa., Francis moved to Hagerstown in 1952 to work for Statton Furniture as a designer. Already in his 30s, he said his parents had given up hope of there being any suitable prospects for him.
While they were dating, Wilda was considering whether to go to Richmond, Va., to get a graduate degree.
After they dated for about four months, Francis, afraid to risk purchasing a diamond, gave Wilda a charm of an engagement ring for her charm bracelet.
“That was the last I saw of her. I got no response at all. She wasn’t sure what was happening,” Francis said.
In the end, Wilda chose the engagement over graduate school. The couple married about eight months later in June 1961 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2011.
Jeannette Rinehart has known Wilda since she got married.
“She was feisty, very loyal, just a really good friend,” Jeannette said.
