KIRKPATRICK, Sherri Lee (MINTON)

KIRKPATRICK, MINTON

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/17/2016 at 06:06:51

BIOGRAPHY ~ Sherri Lee (Minton) Kirkpatrick
Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa

Sherri Lee (Minton) Kirkpatrick was born in Independence, Missouri, on August 31, 1943. Sherri completed her A.A. from Graceland in 1965 and obtained her diploma in nusring from the Independence Sanitarium and Hospital School of Nursing the same year. She earned her B.S.N. through California State University-Sacramento in 1976, her master's degree in 1981, and her Ph.D. in 1988 through the University of Kansas.

Sherri emerged as one of the key innovators of program expansion at Graceland's Independence campus since joining the nursing faculty in 1980.

Sherri and a physician colleague took a group of nursing students to Haiti to train community health workers. This experience launched Sherri's career and gave her a focus in international nursing, a guiding force behind her obtaining her Ph.D.

Sherri became chairperson of the Division of Nursing in 1986, a position that she held until she was named the first vice-president and dean of nursing at the college in 1994. Sherri was a key figure in initiating the 1987 Outreach Program in Nursing, the 1993 Outreach addiction studies program, and the 1994 master of science in nursing program which was Graceland's first post-graduate offering.

An active member of the RLDS Church, Sherri pioneered winter term programs to train volunteer health care workers in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamica, Zambia, Zaire (Domocratic Republic of Congo), Kenya, India, Nepal and Malawi. She was named acting vice-president of academic affairs and dean of faculty in 1996.

Sherri performed various roles such as professor, provost and vice-president for Institutional Advancement.

Sherri is married to Jac Kirkpatrick. Jac received his A.A. degree at Graceland, then transferred to the University of Kansas where he obtained his BS. degree in aerospace inginnering. He became chief of the Technology Branch in the Systems Engineering Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California. He obtained his master's degree at Stanford University. Jac served on a variety of spacecraft project teams and supervised the development of technology for future missions, especially in the thermosciences. At the height of his NASA career, Jac resigned and became an RLDS apostle in 1988. Sherri and Jac served as foster parents for Mexican children undergoing surgery at Stanford University Hospital in the 1970's.

In 2009, Sherri and Jac co-founded HealthEd Connect, a grassroots organization dedicated to empowering women and children through health, education and advocay programs. The organization provided training over the past 20 years for health workers who monitor over 25,000 babies and pregnant women annually and traditional birth attendants who have delivered hundres of babies each year. HealthEd Connect has been a force in better sanitation practices, improved nutrition and oral health.

Jac's engineering background and skills have requently helped him find creative solutions for lo-tech problems while in the field in third-world counties.

Sherri retired from her 29-year career with Graceland University to devote full-time to HealthEd Connect, her passion. Jac retired from his administrative responsibilites with HealthEd Connect and has devoted himself full-time to serve beside his wife Sherri.

SOURCES:

Goehner, David. "The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z." Pp. 4-22. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997.

healthedconnect.org/management.php

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2016

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen