SU Nursing Department Creates Quilt From 25 Years of Shirts

SALISBURY, MD---The Salisbury University Nursing Department recently added a new item to its departmental museum – a quilt constructed from 20 T-shirts and sweatshirts.

The shirts originally were created by SU students, faculty or staff, over the past 25 years, spanning from Salisbury State College to Salisbury State University to SU. They represent events, projects and organizations including the department, SU and National Student Nurses associations, a grant-funded pediatric class project and the University’s Lambda Eta chapter of Sigma Theta Tau international honor society for nursing.

Shirts were donated by six nursing faculty members and three alumni. Once 20 shirts were selected from the pool of donations, they were cut down to squares of just the chest or the back of the item, and quilted together. The idea was suggested by Dr. William Campbell, associate professor of nursing and the curator for the departmental museum.

Dr. Rita Nutt assisted with design layout, and Dr. Lisa Seldomridge helped with funding and securing a display location. The quilt hangs in Devilbiss Hall Room 229, which is used by all incoming junior nursing students for their Foundations course. The students will be exposed to the quilt in their first class as they carry on the tradition of SU Nursing.

Other historical items are on display in the museum, located in showcases on the second floor of Devilbiss Hall, outside rooms 213 and 217. The collection includes several items from the original Peninsula General Hospital School of Nursing, which became the SU Nursing Department in 1979.

Pictured, from left, are Campbell, Seldomridge and Nutt, with the quilt.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.