The Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition would like to dedicate the May 2023 Newsletter to Dr. Lucy Marion. Dr. Marion served on the GNLC steering committee, chairing the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Task Force and the Data Advisory Committee. 

With over 50 years of experience in nursing, Dr. Lucy Marion was a pioneer in nursing, as well as a dedicated educator, researcher, and advocate who touched the lives of countless people throughout her career. Dr. Marion received her B.S.N. and M.N. from the University of South Carolina and her PhD from the University of Illinois in Chicago in 1990. She taught at the University of South Carolina from 1968 to 1993, and then moved back to the University of Illinois in Chicago to continue her career as a professor. In 2004, she went to Augusta, Georgia, to become the dean of the college of nursing at the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University), where she remained until her retirement in 2020.

At Augusta University, Dr. Marion led the creation of the Nurse Scientist Incubator for novice investigators, the first Doctorate of Nursing Practice and Clinical Nurse Leader Programs in Georgia, a three-year BSN program, and the first APRN nurse-managed clinic on campus. She also founded the Greater Augusta HealthCare Network to expand primary care for vulnerable people and continued NIH-funded behavior change research to prevent diabetes among African American church parishioners. Dr. Marion received numerous national honors for her work prioritizing advocacy for access to quality, affordable health care for all and was published frequently throughout her career, including co-authorship of the book Contemporary Pediatric Nursing: A Conceptual Approach.

Dr. Marion was president of the South Carolina Nurses Association from 1982 to 1986 and was inducted into the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame in 2022.

Dr. Marion was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, colleague, mentor, teacher, aunt, and friend. She loved traveling and made it her mission to give each grandchild a special trip: China, Alaska, a Disney Cruise, and Puerto Rico. She also always made time for music, dancing, and laughing with her family. Her unique blend of talent, vision, and empathy was matched by a prodigious work ethic, which she channeled in the service of others, especially those who were most vulnerable.

Dr. Marion will be deeply missed by all who knew her, but her legacy will live on through them. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lucy Edythe White Marion Scholarship at Augusta University.

Source: Legacy.com