Alumni Spotlight - Margaret Hoyda
After graduating high school in 1942, Margaret Hoyda (Diploma, ‘46) began nursing school at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1943 during the throes of World War II. Moving into the dormitory to start her schooling was a time of transition and change for Ms. Hoyda as she had never been away from home. However, she dedicated herself to her training as a nurse and worked hard to achieve her goals.
“There was lots of hard studying and work...but we had fun too,” said Ms. Hoyda. “The patients were good with the student nurses too. If the student nurse did something a patient really liked then the patient would give us nylon stockings, which were just coming out, as a gift when they were leaving.”
While a nursing student, Ms. Hoyda understood the importance of her training and how world events were affecting others. “It was a fun but sad time especially caring for mothers whose husbands were in the (military) service.” Her compassion for others eventually stretched into her nursing career.
Once her nursing training was complete, Ms. Hoyda accepted a position working in Tiffin with Dr. Robert Schriner, a general physician, where she worked for 20 years. While in Tiffin, Ms. Hoyda was approached about her interest in working with the Northwest Ohio Migrant Rest Center.
For Ms. Hoyda, working with the Migrant Rest Center and more specifically the children’s migrant health program was the pinnacle of her career. “It was what I wanted to do. I really put all I had into it and I did it.” Her dedication to the migrant children of Fulton and Henry counties meant recording 200 miles a week driving to make house visits to migrant camps. Ms. Hoyda is especially proud that during two years of her time with the rest center it had the highest recorded number of immunized children in Fulton and Henry counties. Ms. Hoyda spent 17 years with the Migrant Rest Center and after 37 total years in nursing, she retired.
Today, Ms. Hoyda enjoys reading, crocheting, and going out to eat. Ms. Hoyda is a supporter of Mercy College of Ohio because she “understands the valuable education o ered by the college.” She is also thankful for the care she receives from Mercy Health.