| Notes |
- Austin American-Statesman, Texas, Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Paul Bass
Austin?s first male nurse was ?icon? who blazed a kind trail
Paul Bass, believed to be Austin's first male nurse, was honored by the hospital he loved when a clinic for the needy was named for him in 2008. Bass had a lifelong passion for helping the poor and confessed that he wept when his bosses revealed the name.
Soft-spoken, well-loved and esteemed by his peers, Bass died Sept. 12 at age 75 after struggling with leukemia for about 10 years, Seton Healthcare Family spokesman Steve Taylor said.
Bass ended a 46-year career as a registered nurse in July and, true to form, left quietly, asking that no fuss be made, Taylor said.
Bass spent most of his career at University Medical Center Brackenridge, where the Paul Bass Clinic for Specialty and Primary Care serves uninsured and low-income patients. He graduated from UMC Brackenridge's former nursing school in 1968 and continued volunteering at the hospital until he retired. In his later years, he was the clinical nurse manager for physician enterprises, working with cardiologists, at Seton Medical Center Austin.
UMC Brackenridge will hold a memorial service for Bass in its Tranquility Garden, probably early next month, Taylor said.
Bass led by example, said Jesús Garza, president and CEO of the Seton Healthcare Family, which operates UMC Brackenridge. "His commitment to helping the poor and vulnerable and his desire to give back to his community had an extraordinary impact on everyone within Seton who had the pleasure of working with him," Garza said in a statement.
In 1965, Bass, who grew up on an East Texas farm, experienced ridicule and discrimination when he entered the hospital's all-female nursing school. He had been rejected for enrollment a year earlier, and the school's director told him, "You'll never make it," he recalled in a 2008 Statesman interview.
But most of his female classmates looked out for him. "It was like having 20 sisters," he said.
Bass blazed an easier path for the men who followed him and told the Statesman, "I'd do it again tomorrow."
"Paul Bass was an icon at UMCB.... Wise, quiet, unassuming, with a sweet spirit you could feel," Tia McCurdy, the hospital's director of volunteer services, said in a statement. "Paul's kind heart and his good work will be remembered. His passing will create a deep loss."
Leah May, nursing practice manager, called Bass a role model, mentor and "one of the kindest people I ever worked with."
Taylor said he is survived by his wife, Martha; two married daughters; and three grandsons.
A memorial service was held Sept. 17 at Harrell Funeral Home.
His obituary in the Statesman suggested donations to charity, including The Paul Bass Endowment. Those gifts can be made payable to The Seton Fund, 1201 W. 38th St., Austin, Texas 78705.
Harrell Funeral Home
Paul L. Bass (Picture included)
July 1, 1939 ? September 12, 2014
Paul L. Bass passed away September 12, 2014 at 75 after battling an illness for several years. He left his home in Jacksonville, Texas to join the United States Air Force in 1957 and upon release from service moved to Austin to start his family. After graduation from St. Edward's University, he followed his interest in medicine at the Brackenridge School of Nursing and graduated as the first male registered nurse in Austin in 1958. He assisted John P. Schneider, M.D. in the opening and growth of his urology clinic treating many Austinites over several decades. Paul went on to work at Seton Hospital after Dr. Schneider's retirement in a leadership role as director of ambulatory services which resulted in a Seton clinic being named in his honor in 2008. His retirement in July 2014 lasted only a few months. He is survived by his wife, Martha A. Bass and two children Paula and Pamela and three grandchildren Jacob, Nicholas and Matthew. Paul's life will be celebrated in a memorial service at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, on September 17 at 10:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the woundedwarriors.org, setonfund.org, or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to: www.harrellfuneralhomes.com.
|
Bassett Family Association Database
1939 - 2014 (75 years)