Erin King passed away unexpectedly in December 2000. Erin was a long-time member
and active leader in both the King County and Washington State Nurses
Associations. At the time of her death she was serving as the Chairperson of the
WSNA Bylaws/Resolutions Committee, and was a member of the KCNA Governmental
Affairs Committee. An avid world traveler, Erin and her husband had just
completed a wonderful trip to Europe.
Throughout her career Erin served in many leadership roles in the association,
including Treasurer of WSNA, member of the Board of Directors of both KCNA and
WSNA, member of the WSNA-PAC Board of Trustees, numerous local, district and
state committees and as a delegate to many ANA Conventions.
Erin was active in politics and served as a precinct committee officer in the
King County Democrats. Erin was frequently honored by her peers and received the
KCNA Nurse of the Year Award in 1980, and the WSNA Honorary Membership Award in
1984. Erin retired from active nursing in 1996 because of her health and was
working part-time as a telemarketer for The Seattle Times at the time
of her death.
Throughout her life, Erin was long standing advocate for human rights, working
tirelessly as an activist in the civil rights movement in the 60's and
continuing this role throughout the 70's and early 80's with her involvement in
the women’s rights movement and the pursuit of the Equal Rights Amendment. She
was also a strong supporter of workers rights and collective action, and during
the strike at The Seattle Times in the Fall of 2000, Erin was proud to
say that she had refused to cross the picket line!
You couldn’t know Erin without respecting and admiring her total commitment to
the profession and to mentoring and assisting nurses into becoming involved
activists in the Association and the world of politics. Perhaps this is best
described in the words of other nursing leaders whose professional lives she
helped shape.
Note from Susan Wilburn: “I’m so sorry I can’t be with you tonight to help honor
the memory of Erin King who is so deserving of this award. Erin was the first
member of WSNA who I met and during our very first conversation, which was my
job interview at the Seattle Public Health Service, Erin recruited me to join
WSNA. I had just moved to Seattle from the state of Ohio and asked about the
professional association. Little did I know that I was asking the right person
about how to get involved! Erin was a supervisor at USPHS and I became a staff
nurse following the interview. For the next 10 years, Erin supported me as a
staff nurse activist in WSNA: nominating me for office, encouraging me to
involve other nurses at USPHS and supporting staff nurse and union issues while
in her role as a supervisor. From Erin I learned the importance of a strong,
integrated association and how to build consensus amidst a diversity of opinion
and ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This, I believe, was the most important
lesson for my nursing career and the reason that I have worked so hard for the
strength and unity of our professional association.”
Barbara Curtis, past president of WSNA and herself a member of the WSNA Hall of
Fame, had this to say: “Erin King was one of the early “politically-savy” nurses
that understood the significance of creating a nurses political action committee
in Washington State - one of the first of two such PAC's in the country in the
early 70's. Erin was always right there, willing to support both financially and
personally. We are all better people from having shared with Erin during her
lifetime and we miss her.”
Hilke Faber, a long-long-time friend and co-conspirator of Erin’s had this to
say, “Erin King was a woman with determination, tremendous energy and integrity,
which she gave generously to all of us, as individuals and to the Association.
She was a role model to me and always ready to pick up the slack or take the
lead! You could always count on ERIN to be there for you or for all of us. She
is sorely missed, however, her legacy will live on forever -- A tremendous role
model for giving so unselfishly of herself!”
Eunice Cole, Past President of both ANA and WSNA and also a Hall of Fame
recipient, who could not be here tonight, writes: “All my thoughts have been
about the positive, smiling, always supportive Erin. She attended many ANA as
well as WSNA Conventions and I appreciated how willing she was, in her own way,
to help others learning "the ropes." She was a friend and mentor to many nurses.
Erin probably understood and believed in the multi-purpose nature of WSNA and
ANA better than most of us. She lived by her belief in the organization she
loved and was so loyal to thoughout her nursing career. I will join all of you
in my thoughts as you gather to salute and have some smiles in her honor on
March 11th.”
The Washington State Nurses Foundation has established a scholarship fund in
Erin’s honor to support nurses who want to increase their legislative and
political skills. Contributions to the WSNF Erin King fund help underwrite
tuition and workshop costs for nurses who want to attend courses in legislative,
health policy or political action.
Inducted 2004
