Kay Buschle (left) with the late Alice Reynolds ‘60, professor emerita of nursing who served in the U.S. Army Nursing Corps in London during World War II.
Kay A. (Brown) Buschle ’57, G’62, professor emerita of nursing, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Syracuse University School of Nursing, and much of her career was spent there as a professor of nursing.
Buschle passed away in January 2017. Her relationship to Syracuse University remains part of the joyful memory of her life.
Buschle was heavily involved in the Syracuse University Nursing Alumni Association and in alumni activities of neighboring SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
“Kay was a leader in the Omicron Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing for decades,” says fellow nursing alumna and colleague Eileen Lantier ’74, G’76, Ph.D. ’92, senior associate dean of faculty, curriculum and alumni at Falk College. “As president of the SU Nurses Alumni Association, she led the creation of a legacy to Syracuse University, the Alumni/Omicron bench can be seen and appreciated in the Orange Grove on campus.”
“She was a very friendly person who was easy to know, and we were a small group of faculty,” says colleague Barbara “Bobbi” Harris ’61, G’90, Ph.D.’90, professor emerita of nursing and fellow nursing alumna.
She and Buschle remained good friends over the years. “When I had a car accident on Route 3, hit a tree, and got taken to a hospital up there, I called her and her husband to come pick me up,” she recalls.
“We were close, and we talked for an hour on the phone, which I don’t do with many people,” she laughs.
Buschle’s kindness was extended to her students, as well. “She just endeared herself to the students. She was always aware of the needs of the students and did whatever she could to help them,” says nursing alumna and professor emerita of nursing Beverly “Bev” Martin ’48, ’59, G’70. She and Buschle both worked with the undergraduate nursing students, and even shared an office for a period of time. “She loved her work.”
Buschle spent her life in Central Square, New York, where she enjoyed boating on Oneida Lake, spending time with family, friends and colleagues, as well as supporting SU athletics as a devoted basketball and football fan.
“She loved the university. She loved the school. She loved the students and she loved sports,” Martin adds. “She just was a wonderful, exuberant person to get to know. And I knew her for a long, long time.”
