A Lasting Legacy

Max de Pree noted, in Leadership is an Art, that "leaders leave behind assets and a legacy." Katharine Densford did both to extraordinary levels. She combined creativity, collaboration, intelligence, and curiosity to provide leadership to the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing, the nursing profession and the country during three decades of tremendous change.

She mentored countless individuals, and made a significant impact on all whom she met and with whom she worked. Decades later, students and colleagues still recall her influence on them. She freely shared what she knew and what she thought. "Knowledge is not enough, it may change with time. Wisdom does not change-it is knowledge illuminated by understanding and tempered by the compassionate heart. The compassionate heart humanizes knowledge."

As Katharine stepped down as Director of the school in 1959, she surprised everyone by announcing she was getting married. She'd kept her private life so secret that no one knew she had a "significant other." She also continued learning through classes in pottery, photography, and athletics to "keep an open and eager mind, to continue to broaden and intensify education, to function effectively in our changing society." Katharine Densford died in 1978.

The mission of the Densford Center is to assist nurses in developing the needed knowledge, skills, compassion and connections to address today's pressing health care issues in the same spirit as Katharine Densford.