Fort Hays Kansas State College Nursing Program, 1950-2018

Materials contained in the Viola Vincent Kaempfe Collection consist of objects, books, papers, and photographs. Materials are arranged chronologically by their relationship to Viola’s nursing studies at Fort Hays. The artifacts series consists of objects related to Viola Vincent Kaempfe's time in the nursing program at Fort Hays, as well as her career thereafter. The lab coat, nurses’ caps, nametags, and pins are mostly from her time as a student. These objects appear in some photographs within the collection, as well as having historic significance as documentary evidence.

Most of the papers in the collection relate to Viola Vincent Kaempfe’s time at Fort Hays Kansas State College as a student in the nursing program. Materials are arranged chronologically. There are materials related to her coursework and assignments, life on campus, activities and interactions with other nursing students, as well as reunions for the nursing program. A photo album containing over two hundred photographs documents Viola’s life living in dormitories, spending time with friends, and celebrating academic achievements.

Materials of a more personal nature are arranged chronologically in a Personal series. These personal materials include ration stamps for the Vincent family, photographs, books, and memorials. There are around fifty books that consist of children’s literature from the early twentieth century through the 1960s. Most of the earlier books appear to be related to the childhood of Viola Vincent Kaempfe’s father Clyde Vincent. There are several that are inscribed as belonging to Viola’s daughter Tina. One book was written by Tina and her cousins.

Portions of this collection are available for access via our digital collections at the FHSU Scholars Repository. Links for individual items are included in the description for that item in the finding guide. A link to the entire group of digital materials available from this collection is below.

Digital Collections - FHSU Scholars Repository – Digitized Copies of Materials