‘Why Would You Want to Do That?’ A Tribute to the ‘Exquisite Obsession’ and Legacy of Professor Dame June Clark, Health Visitor, 1931–2025
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The death of Professor Dame June Clark on May 14, 2025, led us to explore her unique legacy as a health visitor and nurse leader within the pages of this anniversary edition of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.This seemed apt as the results of one of her research studies appeared in the first ever edition of this Journal in 1976 with her paper 'The role of the health visitor: a study conducted in Berkshire, England.' Almost 50 years later, her name appears again in tribute and in thanks for all that she achieved.June was one of the post-Second World War generation of women who took up a nursing career and changed thinking.Her impact was often ahead of its time and is still being felt today. | Early InfluencesJune Clark was born in Sheffield.Her father was a trades union official in the steel industry during the second World War, which may have influenced her own passion for worker's rights.Her parents were both Welsh, and she always considered Wales her home.At her recent memorial service on a very sunny day in Swansea, I (DK) met her surviving sister, who told me of their father's initial reaction when June announced her ambition to become a Registered Nurse.His response was 'Why would you want to do that?' June had excelled at school, and a university education had to come first.Her father said that after she had obtained a degree, she could do as she pleased.So, June entered University College London to read Classics and graduated in 1962.Her studies of Latin and Greek took place on the UCL campus on the north side of Gower Street, London, WC1.After graduating, she crossed to the south side of Gower Street to commence nurse training at University College London School of Nursing-an attractive cruciform building of red brick that has since been refurbished and now hosts the UCL School of Medicine.Other nurse leaders and several Fellows of the Royal College also trained there, and an active UCL nursing association continues to this day.By 1963, June had become the first delegate of the Student Nurses' Association at the national Union of Students Conference.This was an early sign of her emerging leadership qualities.June's early interest in nursing (described subsequently in her autobiography as an 'exquisite obsession') stayed with her for life (Clark 2016).Throughout her long and impactful career, she argued for a higher professional status to be afforded to nursing and for its potential (and subsequently also for that of Health Visiting) to be better recognised.In 1982 she was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing.June was never afraid to challenge politicians, including John Major, the British Prime Minister, about the need for university education for nurses.In 1990, she was elected President of the Royal College of Nursing and became a vocal campaigner for better pay and career structure.June could be a formidable adversary and was unafraid to question decisions made by others in positions of power with whom she disagreed.Courage was
Source: Journal of Advanced Nursing
DOI: 10.1111/jan.70330
Language: English
Subfield: Issues, ethics and legal aspects
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,450
OpenAlex ID: W4415472886