Harper Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association

During the early 1900s Detroit’s Harper Hospital was home to one of the nation’s most renowned nursing schools.

Opened in 1884, Harper’s Farrand Training School for Nurses graduated nurses who served with distinction in every major twentieth century crisis. During World War I, Harper nurses were asked by the U.S. government to travel overseas and set up an army hospital. Students were taught new skills in properly bandaging battle wounds and treating injuries in perilous conditions. During World War II, Harper nurses served both overseas and domestically.

During the Great Depression Harper nursing students served Detroit in many ways, including providing basic care and preparing meals for the less fortunate, and then by opening a hospital gift shop to raise funds for worthy causes. It took some time to start making money, but by 1933, funds from the shop were set aside for investment. Although the last Harper Hospital School of Nursing class graduated in 1979, to this day the Alumni Association of the Harper Hospital School of Nursing manages and allocates its funds with compassionate wisdom.