By Future Brown and Michael Hutchins / Herald Democrat
Grayson College held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new health sciences center Tuesday. The new facility, the Dr. Mary Moses Health Sciences Center, is just one of the projects funded through the bond passed in 2024.
“I know Dr. Moses would be proud of this project moving forward,” Grayson College President Dr. Jeremy McMillen said Tuesday. “I would say that her passion for teaching and health sciences and transforming the community was in her heart. I think it would not be a stretch to say that she expected this type of great thing to happen for our community, and she started that when she the LVN program many, many decades ago. It is fitting that the building is named after her.
Grayson College’s $456,500,000 bond issue was approved with 5,753 votes in favor and 4,016 votes against. The college planned to finance additions, renovations and safety and security improvements with projects at both the main campus in Denison and the South campus in Van Alstyne.
Last week, the college held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new residence hall. This week was focused on another part of the first phase of the school’s renovation.
“It is not every day that you get to break ground on something that will truly change lives,” Vice President of Community Engagement Molly Harris said Tuesday. “That is exactly what we are doing today. The Dr. Mary Moses Health Sciences Center will be more than just a building. It will be a space where students train to be the health care professionals our community relies on every single day. This project reflects the best of what we do at Grayson College.”
But who was Mary Moses?
Mary L. Moses was born in Sherman in 1927. Moses was instrumental in the creation of the nursing program at Grayson College.
After graduating from Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Waco, Moses became a staff nurse at St. Vincent’s and the then Wilson N. Jones Hospital. She later earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science as well as her Doctor of Education Administration degree.
In 1965, Moses served as the coordinator of the vocational nursing program at Grayson College. Her research and due diligence helped the college to form its first associate degree program.
“When this was presented for approval through the State Board of Nursing, at first it was denied due to the fact that at that time, Mary Moses only had her bachelor’s degree,” information provided for a 2021 news obituary said. “She didn’t give up. She called a friend, Mary Harin, who had her master’s in nursing to help. Her friend came, became the director and the program was approved.”
Moses started the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing and first got other schools of nursing in Texas involved. OADN is now a large national organization.
Moses served as the first dean of the health science division at Grayson College. She worked for the college for 27 years and became a trustee for college in 1992 after her retirement.
In 2019, the School of Health Science at Grayson College was named after Dr. Mary L. Moses.
“I met Dr. Moses several years ago when I first came to Grayson College when I was faculty here,” Dean of Health Sciences Michael Cox said Tuesday. “She really inspired the way we teach health sciences students. I think earlier in the program, you heard that she demanded perfection and that is the way we try to do here. Health care requires perfection and that is what we still demand of our students here. We really carry on her legacy of highly technical high demand program that is going to produce safe and effective health care providers.”
Moses died on Jan. 7, 2021 at the age of 93.
