Helen Turner Watson

Helen Fredericka Turner Watson (July 3, 1917 – September 26, 1992) was an American nurse and educator. She was one of the first African American women to receive a commission in the United States Navy, serving as an ensign in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps from 1945 to 1946. An alumna of the University of Connecticut and Yale University, she became an associate professor at the UConn School of Nursing.

Early life and education Watson was born in Augusta, Georgia, United States, on July 3, 1917, one of five children of Frederick D. and Helen Gilbert Turner. She grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, where she graduated from Weaver High School in 1935. She attended the Lincoln School for Nurses in New York City and graduated as a registered nurse in 1939.

Military service Watson enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve in New York City on April 20, 1945. She received her officer's commission as ensign in the Navy Reserve Nurse Corps on June 13. She was the second of four African American women to become commissioned officers in the Navy Reserve during World War II.

Professional career On leaving the Navy, Watson earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Connecticut in 1947 and a Master of Science from Yale University in 1952. Her bachelor's degree focused on public health nursing, while her master's degree focused on mental health nursing in relation to the growth and development of children. Watson worked as a public health and school nursing consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education from 1948 to 1965. On September 16, 1965, she joined the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Nursing, where she taught community and child health for eighteen years and achieved tenure at the rank of associate professor. Retiring on June 1, 1983, She received the Award for Service to School Children of Connecticut (1961), the National Distinguished Service Award (1962), the Citation for Outstanding Achievement (1963), and the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Nursing Education (1973) from various state and national professional associations.

Personal life Helen married Harold B. Watson, with whom she had a daughter, Jeannette W. Weldon; a son, Norman S. Watson; and four stepsons, Harold, Richard, Everett, and Kenneth Watson.

Watson died on September 26, 1992, at the age of 75.