The theme of Nancy E. Mooney's year as NAON President was "Make a Difference"[horizontal ellipsis] and she did.
I met Nancy in 1985 as I was preparing to begin my tenure as Editor of Orthopaedic Nursing. I had received suggestions from a range of involved NAON members regarding potential articles for publication in the journal. I had only the first page of Nancy's letter and no idea who the writer was. But the ideas were great!! (I can see a lot of heads nodding-what else would one expect from Nancy Mooney?) I remember writing on the letter "Who is this?" I was soon to find out and was privileged to know Nancy over the next 25 years.
Her nursing career covered a lot of territory-literally. She worked with the Indian Health Service in Oklahoma and as a staff nurse and manager in Chapel Hill, where she earned her BSN at the University of North Carolina, while working full-time. She returned to her beloved Brooklyn to attend New York University, where she earned a master's degree and remained in the city throughout her career. I believe that she knew every nurse in New York City and touched the lives of thousands of patients. She nudged nurses to be their best long before Magnet status was developed, and comforted patients through her skills as a clinician with a special interest in pain management.
A charter member of NAON, she attained the ONC designation in the inaugural class of 1988. She authored, edited, or reviewed most of NAON's publications including multiple editions of the Core Curriculum, Orthopaedic Nursing Competencies, and NAON News. An Editorial Board member of Orthopaedic Nursing for many years, she was a talented writer who fostered in others her dual love of nursing and writing.
Many of you will remember Nancy from Eye Opener Breakfasts at Congress. She always picked a table where there were folks she did not know. She was welcoming in a way that you knew was sincere. She was interested in where you came from, what you did, and what you had to say-especially how NAON could serve your needs-and how you could become more involved in advancing orthopaedic nursing.
She was thoughtful. She was funny. She could always see both sides of a story or a dispute. She loved Broadway theatre, grits, Mickey Mouse, and the color purple. The signature song of her favorite musical declared: "One Singular Sensation. She's [horizontal ellipsis] The [horizontal ellipsis] One!!" And she was.
-Ann Butler Maher