Cecilia G. Waggoner

1913 - 2014

Cecilia G. Waggoner 101 of Pittsburg died at 1:45pm on February 9th, 2014 at Oakview Assisted Living. She was born January 3rd, 1913 on a sheep ranch outside of Herford, Texas to Emil A. Ensman and Barbara E. (Weinzinger) Ensman. She moved to Pittsburg at the age of 2 resided there the remainder of her life.
She attended Saint Mary's grade school and Pittsburg High School as well as Kansas State Teachers college (now PSU). On Dec 26, 1940 she married Gerald T. Waggoner in Pittsburg. He preceded her in death on January 28, 1975.
Cecilia left Pittsburg High School at 16 to attend Mt. Carmel School of Nursing. She received her Nursing Diploma in 1932 and maintained her license until 1980. She attended Kansas State Teachers College graduating in 1935 with a Bachelors Degree in Education and simultaneously receiving her high school diploma from College High School. She earned graduate credits from Colorado State University in 1940. She again attended Kansas State Teachers College in 1960 obtaining her Master's of Science Degree in education.
Cecilia was employed as a registered nurse active in nursing and nursing education over the next 55 years. She was a private duty nurse for only a short time before entering the field of education. She severed as an instructor in health and home nursing in Crawford and Cherokee Counties 1933-1939. She then was employed by the Kansas State Board of Vocational Education as an itinerate teacher in adult education 1939-1943. Due to her husband's assignment to Fort Knox KY during the war she moved to Louisville KY where she taught nursing fundamentals at St. Mary and Elizabeth Hospital 1943 to 1945. Upon returning to Pittsburg she was employed at Mt. Carmel School of Nursing from 1945 to 1970 first as an instructor and then as Director of Education. She was the only lay head of the school in its history.
Cecilia was contacted by Pittsburg State University in the late 1960s to see if she would be interested in designing and implementing a degree program in nursing. In 1970 she became an Associate Professor of Nursing and the first Chairman of the newly established Department of Nursing. According to the university ""not only did Mrs. Waggoner lead all aspects of BSN curriculum development, she hired the faculty and mentored the new faculty in choosing their specialties and obtaining appropriate education."" She retired from PSU in 1979. In the early 1990s she served on the master's degree task force, which developed the MSN program at PSU.
After completing her full time career in nursing education she remained active as a part time nursing education consultant and instructor for continuing education classes for professional and practical nursing for the Kansas State Board of Nursing, Topeka,
KS 1980 - 1987. She also served a temporary full time 13 week appointment in the summers of 1980 and 1987 as a full time Nursing Education Consultant for the Kansas State Board of Nursing.
Cecilia maintained several memberships in professional and social organizations. She was member of the American Nurses Association 1933 – present, Kansas State Nurses Association 1933 to present, Sigma Theta Tau honorary nursing society, Delta Kappa Gamma, honorary teachers society. Phi Upsilon Omicron honorary home economics society, Kappa Delta Pi honorary society in education, and Altrusa International Inc, of Pittsburg KS. She was member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church for 99 years. In addition she was member of the St. Mary's Alter society, Mt. Carmel Hospital Auxiliary, Mt. Carmel Hospital Foundation, Pittsburg State University Alumni Association and Sigma, Sigma, Sigma social sorority for over 75 years.
Cecilia had held governor's appointments to Kansas State board of Nursing from 1969-1977 and as president of this board from 1970-1972 and again 1975-1977. She was appointed to the Advisory Council of Kansas Regional Medical Program 1967-1974 and the Governors Commission on Status of Women 1967-1972. She served on the Board of Regents Advisory Committee to the Kansas State Legislative Committee on Secondary and Higher Education 1976-1978. She served as the representative for Kansas State Board of Nursing on the State Planning Committee on Nursing 1977-1978.
Cecilia held numerous offices and memberships on committees and boards of District and State levels of Kansas State Nurses Associations including president of District III and District 20, President and Board of Directors of Kansas State Nurses Association 1963-1967.
She has received several honors over her career including Meritorious Achievement Award from Pittsburg State University 1989, named Woman of the Year in Education by Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce 1972, Distinguished Service Award, Kansas State Nurses Association 1969, Excellence in Nursing Award, Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Upsilon Chapter 1986. On October 12th, 2012 at the Kansas State Nurses Association Centennial Celebration she was inducted into the Founders Class of the KSNA Hall of Fame. In 2013 she was honored by the PSU department of Nursing for her 100th birthday and her service to nursing and PSU.
Cecilia is survived by one son Gerald T. Waggoner II and his fiancée Jolene Robinson of Pittsburg, one granddaughter Christine L. Sanders and husband Steve of Bartlesville OK, two grandsons Eric A. Waggoner and wife Kelly of Bentonville AR, and Patrick J. Waggoner of Springfield, MO. Five great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren. One sister Barbara Jean McClaskey of Girard and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and husband as well as one daughter Patricia M. Brandon of Grove OK. She was also preceded in death by three brothers and three sisters. Elizabeth Bates of Independence KS, Marie Freisberg of Caney KS, Wilfred (Bud) Ensman of Washington State, Edmund Ensman of Downey CA, Leo Ensman of Emporia KS, and Dorothy Wickware of Pittsburg KS.
Cecilia credited her long life to two statements, first ""broccoli blueberries and scotch and not necessarily in that order,"" and second ""everything in moderation a little vice a little virtue."" We would also like to thank Oakview Assisted Living of Frontenac, mothers home for 17 months, as Cecilia said ""if you could not live at home by yourself this is as good as it gets.""
A rosary will be said at 6:00 pm on Friday February 14th, at Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, Broadway at Park in Pittsburg. The family will receive friends following. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday February 15th at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 9th and Locust, Pittsburg, KS with Father Michael Baldwin, as celebrant. Burial following at Highland Park Cemetery, Pittsburg. Friends may call after 4 pm Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Cecilia G. Waggoner Scholarship Fund at Pittsburg State University P. O. Box 4005, Pittsburg, KS 66762-9910. Condolences may be left at our web site www.bathnaylor.com.