School nurse retires,
2,665 students later
By bert nussbaum
Correspondent

Doris Goodwin

MILLTOWN — Thirty-three years of applying Band-Aids, dealing with an assortment of minor injuries and mending an occasional broken heart hasn’t dimmed her enthusiasm or her love for children.

Doris Goodwin, school nurse at Joyce Kilmer School, will retire officially on Dec. 31. The present group of youngsters in school recognized her efforts on Friday, when she walked the halls for the last time to resounding cheers, clapping and a wide variety of hugs and kisses.

"It’s an emotional time for me," Goodwin said. "This has been my life for so many years. The adjustment may be a bit difficult, but I felt that this was the right time."

Goodwin came to Joyce Kilmer School after working in the emergency rooms at St. Peter’s University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, both in New Brunswick.

"I knew that I wanted to work with children," she said.

She met her husband, Tom, a master union carpenter, while working in the emergency room. He was on the Milltown Rescue Squad, an effort he still enjoys after more than 40 years of volunteering.

"The job has changed dramatically," Goodwin said of her position as nurse. "I can remember the early years when Dr. Kuhlthau (a local dentist) had a fully equipped dental office in the basement of J.K. (Joyce Kilmer) and would give dental exams and fill cavities for the students. There were years when we had to give our students the Mantoux tests (for TB) and when we had to take throat cultures and then incubate them and read the results."

Goodwin, who has seen three major building programs during her career, remembers clearly the "old school," or Joyce Kilmer prior to the major construction project of 1980, when central hallways were finally constructed. The school was originally built in 1907, with sections added on several times since.

"It was very difficult to get around in the old school. You had no center hallways and had to walk through some classrooms to get to others," she said.

"In the late ’70s, we had double sessions and had some students attending school in the United Methodist Church school building. It made for some interesting times. The building program completed in 1980 really upgraded the facility."

Among her fondest memories are the eighth-grade trips to Washington, D.C.

"We always had such good times," she said. "It was fascinating to see the different sites through the eyes of the children."

That the youngsters love and respect "Goody" (a nickname coined by longtime social studies teacher Ed-ward Vetter) is exemplified by the fact that a former J.K. student will replace Goodwin as the school nurse. Cathy Carina Conger will assume the position when the students return after the New Year’s holiday.

"Cathy told me that she went into nursing because she admired me. That is the ultimate compliment," Goodwin said.

Recommendations for her successor include the necessity for a good sense of humor.

"It’s essential," said Goodwin. "You need to look at the funny side of life, and you need to laugh often. Working with children kept me young at heart. Each child is unique and has his or her own personality. They are the greatest."

Goodwin has saved every one of the group graduation pictures from the school. She recently donated them to the Milltown Historical Society. She has seen 2,665 students graduate from J.K., and calculated that the parents of 120 present Kilmer students attended the school during her tenure.

"This community is a special place," she said.

Plans for the future include some travel and time to work on her hobbies of needle craft and baking.

"Tom will be retiring in the spring, and then we will see what we want to do," said Goodwin. "It has been a wonderful life, and all of the kids have been a part of my extended family. I was their nurse, and the kids were good for me. They were my best medicine."

Guest writer Dr. Bert Nussbaum retired in September 2000 as principal of Joyce Kilmer School, a position he held for 27 years.