Past Sigma President Lucie S. Kelly Passes Away

We are deeply saddened to announce that Dr. Lucie S. Kelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, past Sigma president (1983-1985), passed away on 20 November 2019.

Dr. Kelly had a distinguished career in nursing, education, and healthcare administration. She obtained three degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as six honorary doctorates from other universities.

She held several key positions in nursing and administration, including Vice President of Nursing, McKeesport Hospital; Professor and Chair at California State College; and a joint appointment at Columbia University, as Professor of Public Health and Nursing in the School of Nursing, and Professor of Public Health and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Public Health. She retired from Columbia as professor emerita in 1990.

In addition to being Sigma’s president, Dr. Kelly served on the boards of numerous professional, healthcare, and governmental organizations. In 1985, Sigma named the Lucie S. Kelly Mentor Award in her honor for her devotion to the spirit of mentoring.  

Dr. Kelly was elected to the American Academy of Nursing and later named a “Living Legend.” She authored over 200 publications, including 10 books, and lectured extensively in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. She also served as editor of Nursing Outlook and other peer-reviewed journals. At age 90, she was honored at the University of Pittsburgh as a Legacy Laureate and at the University of Virginia as an outstanding leader by the Beta Kappa Chapter of Sigma.

Dr. Kelly’s extraordinary life had an immense impact on nurses all over the globe. The world has been made tremendously better because of Dr. Kelly.