Description of the video:
[Onscreen text reads: Lillian S. Stokes]
[ Music ]
[Lillian Stokes speaks] I grew up you know, working with my family And so really, it was a community that really supported each other.
[Black and white photos: Lillian as a girl and young woman. A farm]
[Narrator] Lillian Stokes may have been born and raised on an expansive tobacco farm in North Carolina, miles from any major city. But the community in which she was raised was large and rich with love and support.
[Stokes] I have lots of brothers and sisters. There were 10 of us. I feel very blessed to have grown up, you know, in that environment, because I think a lot of what has evolved has been because of the initial upbringing.
[Narrator] This environment of nurturing and care steered Lillian to a career in nursing. A career she envisioned from the time she was a girl, and a career she developed early on as a nursing student.
[Stokes] I started looking at, you know, Indiana University and found out about the nursing for the graduate nursing program. And I applied. Of course back then, they had been telling us from day one that our expectations that all of us would continue our education, become leaders in the field.
[Video footage of the School of Nursing buildings at Indiana University]
[Narrator] At IUPUI, surrounded by successful role models in her chosen profession, Lillian embraced the idea not only of working as a clinical nurse, but also influencing other young nursing students by serving as an educator.
[Nursing students in a hands on classroom]
[Stokes] We used expertise of the nurses and individuals, you know, in the clinical facility who are competent, and who also loves students. And a lot of times they would say, you know, it's nice having students, because they have them to stay current and make sure they do things, you know, the right way.
[Photos of Lillian with colleagues and in the classroom. Textbook cover: Adult and Child Care. A Client Approach to Nursing]
[Narrator] Throughout her years at IU, Lillian learned that many of the procedures for teaching future nurses and healthcare professionals were growing quickly out of date. Unable to find a textbook that focused on new policies in the field, she and her fellow instructors developed their own textbook, which was published in 1973. In it, she and her colleagues ruffled the feathers of the medical establishment by suggesting that patients should be viewed as clients, as active participants in a healthcare team that included physicians, therapists, and nurses.
[Onscreen text reads: Angela McBride. Distinguished Professor. IU School of Nursing]
[Angela McBride speaks] Her view of education, her writings; when she wrote a Med-Surg book, that was cutting edge. It went way beyond what you do in terms of, I would say traditional role, of nurse. But it was very geared. And it was ahead of its time for inter-professional teams working together.
[Narrator] As well as the leader in modern nursing practices, Lillian led the IU School of Nursing in developing diversity initiatives to help expand and diversify enrollment on the IU campus.
[Onscreen text reads: Robin Newhouse. Dean. IU School of Nursing]
[Robin Newhouse speaks] She laid the groundwork for being in inclusive climate that's welcoming for all people, where students could learn. She brought the passion for student learning and success. She's credited with increasing minority enrollment, expanding diversity, creating programs so students would be successful.
[Photo of Lillian surrounded by students]
[Narrator] Throughout more than 40 years at IU, Lillian spearheaded several fundraising initiatives, among many different healthcare disciplines to help provide scholarships to students in the IU School of Nursing.
[McBride] She gets physicians, and occupational therapists, and dentists, and all healthcare providers to get involved; and in fact, raising funds for scholarships in nursing.
[An article: Leadership Group Honors Nursing School Official]
[Newhouse] I recently went to an event that Dr. Stokes was there. I knew she mentored, but I had no idea the extent she mentored. And clearly, the success of her mentorship was in the face of the mentees. She's been incredibly giving with her time and giving with her thoughts about how to be successful and how to lead in nursing.
[Onscreen text reads: Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Indiana University. Lillian S. Stokes]
[ Music ]