Irma Dryden

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Irma Dryden
Nickname(s)"Pete"
Born(1920-05-28)May 28, 1920
New York City, New York
DiedSeptember 17, 2020(2020-09-17) (aged 100)[1]
Canton, Georgia
Place of burial
Arlington National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army Nurse Corp
RankSecond Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II
Spouse(s)Charles W. Dryden
ChildrenCharles a.k.a. Thumper Dryden, Keith Dryden, Eric Dryden, George Bingham, Kenneth Bingham, Tony Bingham, Cornelia-Rose White

Irma Cameron Dryden (May 28, 1920 – September 17, 2020) was an American military nurse, best known for her work with the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII. She was involved in the first military wedding at Tuskegee. She went on to be the oldest living Tuskegee Aircorps nurse before her death in 2020 at the age of 100.

Early life[edit]

Dryden was born in New York City in 1920.[2] Her father was a dental technician and her mother was a school teacher.[1] Both of Dryden's parents were Jamaican.[3] Dryden's ambition was to become a physician, however, she decided to pursue nursing because she had difficulty accessing the necessary education.[4] She graduated from the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing in 1942.[2]

Military career[edit]

In 1942, Dryden enlisted as a military nurse and traveled to Alabama with two of her classmates, Alice M. Dunkley and Mary Rickards.[3] Being from New York, Dryden was shocked by the discrimination she and other black nurses faced in the segregated south.[5] She recounted in an interview with Tuskegee University that she "didn't eat the whole trip" due to rules requiring black passengers to eat behind a curtain after white passengers had finished.[5]

She married Tuskegee Airman Charles W. Dryden in 1943.[6] Their wedding was the first military wedding at Tuskegee.[3] The two would eventually divorce after 32 years of marriage but would remain friends until Charles Dryden's death in 2008.[4]

Irma and Charles Dryden's story was mentioned in Tom Brokaw’s An Album of Memories: Personal Histories from the Greatest Generation as well as Charles Dryden's memoirs, A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman.[3]

Later life and death[edit]

Dryden left the military in 1944.[3] She went on to start an medical lab in New Jersey which she oversaw for over 20 years.[4] In 2013, she became the first honorary member of the Atlanta chapter of the National Black Nurses Association.[7] In 2014, Dryden received a Congressional Gold Medal for her military service.[8]

Dryden died at the age of 100 in September 2020. She was the oldest living Tuskegee Aircorps nurse at the time of her death.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Tudor, Martha Ann (2020-09-29). "Irma "Pete" Cameron Dryden, 100, nurse to Tuskegee Airmen". ajc.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  2. ^ a b "Nurse to Tuskegee Airmen dies in Georgia at 100". abcnews.com. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Tuskegee Army Nurses Project – Irma Cameron". Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  4. ^ a b c Tudor, Martha Anne. "Irma "Pete" Cameron Dryden, 100, nurse to Tuskegee Airmen". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  5. ^ a b The Associated Press (2020-09-29). "Nurse to Tuskegee Airmen dies in Georgia at 100". Air Force Times. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  6. ^ "Only Living Tuskegee Airmen Nurse Who Cared for WWII Cadets Celebrates Her 100th Birthday". people.com. 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  7. ^ "Atlanta Black Nurses Association (ABNA)" (PDF). NBNA News: Continuing the Legacy: 18. 2013.
  8. ^ "94-year-old Tuskegee Airman honored for her service". TheGrio. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  9. ^ "Obituary for Irma "Pete" Dryden | Hanley-Shelton Funeral Directors". Hanley-Shelton Funeral Directors. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
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