“Being old is not a disease, it’s frankly an achievement.” – Dr. Rheba de Tornyay
This April 17, we’re celebrating the birthday of Dr. Rheba de Tornyay. Dr. de Tornyay served as dean for the UW School of Nursing from 1975 to 1986, and was a dedicated proponent of gerontological nursing. She was passionate about nursing education and promoting healthy aging. The work the de Tornyay Center for Healthy Aging does is possible thanks to the generosity of Drs. Rudy and Rheba de Tornyay, who endowed the de Tornyay Center for Aging and made possible our 26 years of contributions to gerontological nursing.
You can learn more about Dr. de Tornyay’s life, career, and continued impact in the center’s three-part timeline of her life.
Thank you to everyone who joins us in continuing Dr. de Tornyay’s legacy: The faculty who mentor students. The researchers who further nursing science in healthy aging. The educators who weave new aging concepts through the curriculum. The thought leaders who challenge our current beliefs about aging. The students who dedicate themselves to learning to be the next generation of change-makers and leaders in gerontological nursing research and practice. Together our collective work helps push forward her vision of healthy aging for all.
“What [Rheba] taught me was, don’t grieve the life you don’t have, create the life you want.” – Dr. Sarah Shannon
“[Rheba’s] real dream, I think, was imagining what future students would be able to create, what you would be able to inspire, not just in your own work, but in your work with students, your work with older adults, and to begin thinking about what is left on this agenda…” – Dr. Nancy Woods