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Marguerite Cobb


Marguerite Cobb, MN, RN, started her professional nursing career as a staff nurse with the Seattle/King County Health Department Visiting Nurse Services in Seattle in 1949, and culminated it as Assistant Professor Emeritus, Department of Community Health Care Systems at the University of Washington in 1982. Between these touch stones of her professional life, Marguerite has given generously of her time, intellect, energy, compassion and humor in the broad field of Public Health and Community Health Nursing. She has given integrity and purpose to every job, no matter how small or prestigious.

Not only has she been an outstanding practitioner, but Marguerite has been an educator par excellence, having motivated many generations of community nurses. She co-authored Community Health Nursing (Four Editions), which is a classic, and has served as a valuable, must read textbook for countless numbers of college nursing students, field staff, including faculty across the county and abroad, as the text has been translated into French and Spanish.

Professor Cobb is valued by students and co-workers as an academician, practitioner and advisor. As chairperson of the Department of Family and Community Nursing, she influenced the development of program content for Nursing Administration, Cross-Cultural Nursing, Transition Services, and Family Nurse Practitioner. Today, the University of Washington School of Nursing continues to be ranked by its peer institutions of higher learning in the top five schools in the nation. Clearly, Marguerite left a legacy contributing to this high recognition the School of Nursing continues to experience.

One of Professor Cobb's strongest contributions to the field of Public Health Nursing is the extensive list of former students who are now evolving as nursing and community leaders. She mentored and coached over 50 nursing students in their graduate work and thesis projects, along with countless undergraduate students.

In addition to teaching in a university setting, Marguerite has provided leadership to conferences, workshops and institutes, both locally and nationally. Her public health knowledge and experience has enriched the work of countless committees, councils, task forces, and advisory groups at home in Washington State, in the Northwest region, and in the nation. She has been a treasured colleague to the Seattle/King County VNS, Community Home Health Care of King County, the Governor's Advisory Council for Comprehensive Health Planning, the Washington/Alaska Regional Medical Program, the American School Association, National League of Nursing, American Nurses Association, and the American Public Health Association.

Her presence as a WSNA leader began in 1970 and has carried on to the present. She has guided the Association as the WSNA Biennial Convention Chair, Chair of the Planning Committee for Role Realignment Workshops, Platform Committee Chair, Secretary of the Board of Directors, Member of the Executive Committee, Member of the First Committee to Evaluate the WSNA Executive Director, and Delegate to numerous WSNA and ANA Conventions.

Marguerite's extensive list of Professional Achievements and Peer Recognition consists of: American School Health Association, Fellow; American Public Health Association, Fellow; Alpha Tau Delta; Delta Kappa Gamma; Sigma Theta Tau; Public Health Nursing Training Grant; National Institutes of Health; Site Evaluation and Peer Review for Contract National Health Service Corps; National Cancer Institute; Citation for Years of Service from Seattle-King County VNS; the American Nurses Foundation; the Distinguished Service Award; the American Public Health Association; Public Health Nursing Section; Pearl McIver Award for Public Health Nursing; the American Nurses Association; the Marguerite Cobb Public Health/Community Health Nurse Award, the first named award by the WSNA (1987); Distinguished Alumna of 1988 - University of Washington School of Nursing Alumni Association; and the King County Nurses Association 1989 - Presidential Award.

Admired for her professional achievements, Marguerite is also cherished for the warm, humane and generous person that she is. She has worked prodigiously and has made a difference in the fields of public health, and nursing