NEW YORK NURSE: September 2008
Georgia Van Dyke has been awarded the 2008 Woman-Owned Business of the Year award by the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce. Van Dyke retired as a labor organizer from NYSNA in 2004 after 21 years of service, and is the proprietor of Gobbler’s Knob Family Fun Park in Cobleskill. The idea for the fun park began in 1997, when Van Dyke’s husband, Darryl, submitted plans for a driving range, club house, and miniature golf course on the rural 64-acre property for zoning approval. By 2001, the driving range and club house were open. When Darryl passed away suddenly, Van Dyke made it her goal to see that his dreams were brought to fruition. In addition to the driving range and club house, Gobbler’s Knob—the name refers to the large roosting area at the crest of the property—now features an 18-hole miniature golf course, go-kart track, and ice cream parlor, with plans for a nine-hole Par 3 golf course, bumper boats, and batting cages in the works. When asked what keeps her going, Van Dyke said, “My zest for life and the great enjoyment I get in seeing Darryl’s dream come true. I see this business continuing to grow by leaps and bounds.”
Jacqueline Grant, a clinical nurse specialist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, was one of several women recently honored for “their selfless contributions in making our communities and state a better place,” by Assemblyman Tom Alfano of Nassau County. The awards, now in their sixth year, honor women in the Assembly district for their work in the professions, community service, and leadership. Grant was nominated for “her tireless work” in keeping Alfano informed on nursing issues and her dedication to the nursing profession. She worked closely with Alfano’s office on its first annual health and wellness fair, attended by more than 1,600 residents. Alfano said, “Jacqueline is an outstanding woman who I’m proud to call a friend— I truly value that friendship and that she’s always there.” Grant is a NYSNA legislative district coordinator, a delegate to the ANA House of Delegates, and serves on NYSNA’s Nominating and Membership committees. She has been employed at JHMC for 21 years.
Peggy Salzano, a retiree turned nurse educator at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, had an article published in the May 26 issue of Advance for Nurses. Titled “Switching Gears,” it detailed her long path to becoming a nurse educator. Salzano started her education in an LPN program at Montefiore Medical Center. After years of working as an LPN, juggling shifts around her firefighter husband’s rotating schedule and the birth of their first child. Salzano interspersed work with school, becoming an RN in 1977 and later earning a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s degree in healthcare administration. As retirement approached, Salzano heard of positions at local colleges and decided to submit her resume. She has taught in the nursing skills lab at the college for more than a year. Salzano has served as NYSNA delegate to the ANA House of Delegates and is a member of the Mu Upsilon chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She was instrumental in developing a forensic nursing program that will be recognized during Sigma Theta Tau International’s 2008 Showcase of Regional Excellence this fall.
Lorraine Seidel, director of NYSNA’s Economic & General Welfare Program, had an article published in the June 2008 issue of Association Resource, the monthly publication of the Empire State Society of Association Executives Inc. (ESSAE). A member of the 2008 graduating class of ESSAE’s Association Leadership Academy, Seidel’s article, “Reflections on Leadership,” examined the history, characteristics, and varying styles of effective leadership. She wrote: “No two moments are the same. It seems that a particular situation will call for a particular style of leadership, and the more emotionally intelligent the leader, the more capable she is to select behavior that best matches the situation for the purpose of achieving desired outcomes. . . . Added to one’s own authentic self, a style emerges that will give context and definition to that leader’s behavior and relationships.”