Joene A. Handen - Online Memorial Website

Joene was one of the people whose easy-going sense of humor made some of the difficult and demanding times in our Nurses Training more bearable...and even fun!

We first met, on a personal level, during our first week of training (Sept.,1953) at a Christian Inter-varsity meeting, at Highland, where we discovered that we were both Baptists.  We decided to ride the bus together to the First Baptist Church of Berkeley, on that coming Sunday, which we did.  It turned out that we preferred the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church of Oakland, instead, so we conscripted a little group of fellow classmates to join us and we continued to attend that  church every Sunday morning, and frequently attended the evening Youth Fellowship meetings.

We also, being unable to go home every weekend, often got together (late) on Saturday mornings for a relaxed breakfast of toast and jam, with a cup of "hot cocoa", in our casual clothing: rolled up "Suntan" pants & plaid shirts...and catch-up conversations about what was going on with our classmates, etc., etc..  This was usually followed by an early lunch in the Hospital Nurses Cafeteria.  (Of course we dressed in skirts and blouses to be seen anywhere in the Hospital...or in class).  "Casual clothing" had it's place in the '50s!!!

We each had a different group of people we "palled-around" with during the week.  For Joene it was: Lorraine Graham, Janice Hansen, Esther Meuniet and Carol Giles.  They all had rooms on the second floor. Friendships were often determined by proximity of rooms. You sat by those people in class, provided emotional support daily, knew what was happening in their lives... and shared in their triumphs! 

For me and my group lived on the first floor, and spent each "Study Hours Period" in each others rooms every night .  I have no memory of having ever studied during Study Hours.  "Cramming" was the name of the game for many at Highland!

Joene was always a class "favorite".  She seemed always to be at ease with herself and had the gift of a certain social maturity that let her see a little more of the real truth in many situations so that her unpretentious comments always seemed to "ring-true" and to often be the source of smiles and laughter.  I was fortunate to have had her as a friend both in nurses training, and through many years afterward. My life was made better by her presence and I will miss her.