Class of 1972 Donates Ventilator to the Young School of Nursing

As part of their 50th Reunion class gift in May 2022, the Class of 1972 donated a ventilator to the Young School of Nursing to honor classmates who have passed away. Reunion co-chairs Patricia Tuohy Leonardi ’72 and Audrey Volckmann Leonard ’72 worked with a committee of several members of the Class of 1972 on fundraising efforts for their special milestone, and classmate Marie Sullivan—who passed away in 2021—served as inspiration for the gift to the Young School.

“As we planned for our 50th Reunion gift, our class decided we wanted to give something special—something that would be really impactful on Regis students on a daily basis,” says Leonardi. “Marie was a nurse for more than 40 years and she dedicated her life to helping others, as well as being one of the very first nurse anesthetists in the country, so she was the inspiration for this class gift to help Regis nursing students.” 

The class worked together to raise funds leading up to and during Reunion Weekend and officially dedicated the ventilator with a small ceremony in November 2022 in the nursing labs in College Hall.

“Through this generous gift, the Class of 1972 is ensuring that future health care heroes have the resources they need as they train in the Regis labs,” says Vice President of Institutional Advancement Staci Shea. “Regis is grateful to the many members of the class as well as family and friends who supported this effort as part of their reunion year.”

Leonard says, “This gift will pose as a reminder of the friendships we made while at Regis and the memories of so many classmates who will never be forgotten. We hope the ventilator will help hundreds of students learn how this life-saving machine can play such a huge part in a patient’s recovery.”