“I never could have imagined that Winston-Salem State University would grow to be this large,” Sadie B. Webster, the second dean of the School of Health Sciences recently said. Webster, who attended WSSU as a student in the early 1950s, later became dean of the School of Health Sciences.
When she returned for Homecoming this fall, she reflected on her years at WSSU.
“When I was a student here, there were maybe around 600 students, and most of the students majored in education or my major, nursing,” she said. Webster was a part of the first nursing class, the class of 1953. “Back then, everyone knew everyone and there was no such thing as a co-ed dorm,” she chuckled.
Because of Webster’s extensive knowledge of the nursing department, WSSU has honored her by naming its archival center The Sadie B. Webster School of Health Sciences Archival Center. The center was dedicated in her honor in early October. The center, which is housed on the second floor of the F.L. Atkins building, contains artifacts such as photographs, old nursing uniforms and medical supplies, and an array of other antiques.
The pictures and artifacts housed in the center are some of the same tools that Webster was accustomed to using while studying at WSSU.
“Throughout the process of gathering information for the archives, attention at times was focused on my tenure as a faculty member, which began in 1966,” she said. “The experience also brought memories of my leadership as director during the 1980-1990 era.”
Webster serves as an example of the professionals that WSSU strives to produce. “One of the things I value so much is to see so many of our graduates excel in all phases of their professional lives,” Webster said.
Even though she is now retired, she continues to volunteer wherever she may be needed in the Department of Nursing.