Alumni Spotlight: Connie Brizee and Carol Brown

Lifelong Friends and Proud Alumnae

Connie Brizee (BSN, ’62) and Carol Brown (BSN, ’62) have been lifelong friends since the third grade. As young women, they were both fascinated by science and together joined the “future nursing club” in high school. When deciding on college, they knew they wanted to do it together and they wanted to become nurses. Both applied to and were accepted into SF State’s School of Nursing in 1958. In 1962 they graduated together and settled into careers in the Bay Area, with Connie focused on surgical and school nursing and Carol on emergency room and public health nursing.

For those who were in the nursing program at the same time as Connie and Carol, you might remember Carol by her nickname of Midge Magid. Midge was active in student government and was in charge of blood drive efforts at SF State until Connie assumed that role.

Connie recently reconnected with the School of Nursing after discovering her class photo posted on the department’s website. Filled with nostalgia, she called to see how the nursing program was doing and organized a meeting with the school’s director, Mary Ann van Dam. Of course, Connie did not plan to meet with Mary Ann alone, and she quickly called Carol to put it on her calendar. Connie and Carol were impressed with how far the program has come, and when they heard of plans to create a School of Nursing Alumni Association, they volunteered on the spot to be a part of it. As founding members of the association, they both serve on the advisory committee and together are hosting the association’s first East Bay social on March 23.

Their love for nursing has never faded, and, as Carol states, “There are so many opportunities within the field of nursing — from the hospital to school nursing and public health.  Our nursing career has always been very fulfilling.”