Carolyn Ladd Widmer

Carolyn Ladd Widmer (January 19, 1902 – January 10, 1991) was an American nurse educator and academic administrator who served as the first dean of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. She held this position for twenty-five years (1942–1967).

Career and education Widmer was born in Randolph, Vermont, on January 19, 1902. Her parents were George Ladd, a clergyman, and Mary Hamlin, daughter of Cyrus Hamlin, founder of Robert College and president of Middlebury College.

Widmer earned her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1923. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Following stints as a pathology research assistant in Boston and a laboratory instructor at the University of Vermont, she entered Yale University School of Nursing in 1929. In late 1929, she spent several months as a public health organizer in Bogota, Colombia. After graduating as a registered nurse, Widmer became a head nurse in Yale New Haven Hospital. In 1949 the National Committee for the Improvement of Nursing Services ranked UConn in the top 25% of nursing schools nationwide. Widmer also laid the foundations for a graduate nursing program, launched in 1971. the Carolyn Ladd Widmer Wing of Storrs Hall (site of the nursing school) was named in her honor. The Widmer Wing is a 15,800-square-foot space built at the cost of $14 million and housing a large classroom, study hall, clinical simulation rooms, and exam rooms. The nursing school's former home was the Carolyn Ladd Widmer Building, built in 1919 originally for service as the college infirmary, from 1950 to 1996, when the building was closed and demolished.

Personal life During her sojourn in Beirut, Widmer met Robert Widmer, whom she married on April 27, 1934.

Widmer died in Windham on January 10, 1991. She was survived by both her sons.