[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. BILLYE BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2015

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as the first 
registered nurse elected to the U.S. Congress, I would like to take a 
moment to congratulate a remarkable woman for her remarkable devotion 
to the nursing community, as well as wish her a safe and happy 90th 
birthday.
  Dr. Billye Brown graduated from nursing school at Arkansas Baptist 
Hospital in Little Rock and received a Bachelor's degree in Nursing 
Education from the University of Texas' Medical Branch School of 
Nursing at Galveston, Texas. She earned her Master's degree in Nursing 
Education from St. Louis University and a Doctor of Education degree 
from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
  Internationally recognized as a leader in education and 
administration, Dr. Billye J. Brown has been at the forefront of 
nursing for more than 30 years through her achievements as both 
professor and dean at the University of Texas at Austin School of 
Nursing, and as a prominent leader in nursing's most distinguished 
professional organizations.
  In 2013, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of 
the American Nurses Association, awarded Billye its prestigious 
President's Award to honor her lifetime contributions to the nursing 
profession, including her support of original research in the 1980s 
that led to the establishment of ANCC's Magnet Recognition Program.
  During her years at The University of Texas at Austin, Billye was 
dean and professor of the School of Nursing for 17 years. Billye's 
visionary approach to teaching and administration led to her 
appointment as the LaQuinta Motor Inns Centennial Professor in 1983 and 
her induction into the Hall of Fame at the University of Texas' School 
of Nursing at Galveston in 1992.
  Her numerous professional awards and honors include being named Nurse 
of the Year by the Texas Nurses' Association; her selection as one of 
the Most Influential Women in Education by the Austin American 
Statesman; and resolutions passed by the State of Texas Senate and 
House of Representatives acknowledging her contributions to nursing.
  At the national and international level, Billye is widely respected 
for her service as past president of both the American Association of 
Colleges of Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). As 
chairman of the fundraising task force for STTI, Billye led a 
successful multi-year campaign that produced more than $7 million in 
planned gifts. She was honored by the AACN with the Sister Bernadette 
Armiger Award.
  In 1999, STTI selected Billye for the Mary Tolle Wright Award for 
Excellence in Leadership and announced the formation of the Billye 
Brown Society to pay homage to her dedication to planned giving efforts 
that contribute to the advancement of scholarly nursing. She was 
recognized with the Nell J. Watts Lifetime Achievement in Nursing Award 
at the 2007 STTI Biennial Convention. Billye was recognized as the 2010 
American Academy of Nursing Living Legend, and in 2011 she was selected 
to receive the prestigious National League for Nursing President's 
Award for an Enduring Legacy in Nursing Education.
  Mr. Speaker, the only list more longer and more plentiful than the 
list of Billye's professional achievements is the list of people whose 
lives she has touched. She dedicated her life to nursing because it is 
a profession on the forefront of patient care, human interaction, and 
practiced compassion. Her work is selfless, but she is so humble, she 
would never even say that. Her life is for others, but today is for 
her. May the Record recognize Dr. Billye Brown's historic career and 
milestone birthday.

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