As a high school student, McDermott did not plan to go to college. Instead, the Chicago native planned to attend a three-year diploma program—then the standard for nursing education.

At the urging of a friend and a Jesuit priest, she looked at Loyola, then one of a handful of universities nationwide with a baccalaureate nursing program. McDermott earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1960 and her Master of Science in Nursing in 1965. She joined Loyola’s nursing faculty, specializing in obstetrics, and stayed until her retirement in 2005. She remains a staunch advocate of the liberal arts in nursing education.

“Nobody else in my family was a nurse; they were all teachers and I wanted to be something else. So I chose nursing.

“At the time, I didn’t know you could go to college to become a nurse. But once I was there, Loyola was the right fit. The faculty and the liberal arts were really attractive to me.

“I didn’t originally intend to spend my career as a faculty member, but I really loved teaching and I loved incorporating the liberal arts into being an ‘educated nurse,’ with students taking classes in speech, the humanities, writing, English.

“Why is a liberal arts education important for nurses? You’ve got to be able to explain yourself well, to write well, to think critically. Bedside, all these skills help you meet the needs of the patient.

“I was given a lot of opportunities as a faculty member at Loyola. I, along with two other faculty members, started the Nursing Center (the predecessor of today’s Community Nursing Center) in St. Ignatius Parish in 1980.

"I also helped launch the nursing study abroad program at the Rome Center. But I’m proudest of my graduates, seeing the progress they’ve made in their careers.”