Myrtle Aydelotte

Former Dean of the College of Nursing, Myrtle "Kitch" Aydelotte, died peacefully at home in Rochester, NY, on January 7, at age 92. She was preceded in death by her husband, William and is survived by loving daughters, Marie Aydelotte Turner (Jonathan) and Jeannette Aydelotte Burr (Chris) and four grandchildren, Alex and Victoria Turner, Michael and Brian Burr.
Kitch was born in rural Iowa and moved with her family to northern Minnesota during the Great Depression. She was the second youngest of nine, and the first to attend college. She was a 1939 graduate of the University of Minnesota, and later received her PhD there in 1955. She served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II, in the northern African and Italian campaigns. She was a visionary who could take new concepts of practice and administration and implement them. Few people have to skills to not only have the vision, but the skills to implement that vision.
Kitch had a long and distinguished professional career, including positions as Founding Dean and Professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing where she served from 1949-1957. She also served as Director of Nursing at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and as Executive Director of the American Nurses' Association in Kansas City. She received multiple awards and authored many publications. She was a member of many professional nursing organizations, as well as of the Institute of Medicine.
After her retirement, Kitch moved to Rochester, New York, to be near family. She continued to be active as a community volunteer at St. John's Meadows, where she made her home. She received the St. John's Communities Leadership Award in 2008.
A Memorial Service to celebrate Kitch's life is planned for Saturday, February 7 at 1 p.m. at St. John's Meadows Briarwood. A memorial service also is being planned for Dr. Aydelotte in Iowa City. For those wishing, donations in Kitch's memory may be made to the University of Iowa School of Nursing (University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244), the University of Rochester School of Nursing (Office of Development, 300 E. River Rd., Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627), or the St. John's Home Foundation (150 Highland Ave., Rochester, NY 14620).