It was with deep sadness that we shared the news that our beloved Kitty Ernst passed away peacefully at home on December 28, 2021. Words cannot adequately express Kitty’s impact nor how much she will be missed. She was our mentor, visionary, taskmaster, cheerleader, and dear friend. Please circle up with me as together, we mourn the loss of Kitty Ernst, a wonderful woman, educator, and pioneer for nurse-midwifery. We reflect on her life, her work and impact on FNU, and the legacy that she leaves behind. Born on July 21, 1926, in Waltham, Massachusetts, Eunice Katherine “Kitty” Macdonald Ernst was a dynamic and committed pioneer in midwifery education and practice. She was passionate about ensuring that all families receive the best possible care during pregnancy and birth. She was the wife of the late Albert T. Ernst Sr who died in 2011. Kitty was the daughter of the late John D. and Esther C. Macdonald. She lived her life by the words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never, never give up.” Even as a young nurse, Kitty knew that she wanted to work in a place where she would make a difference in the lives of women and families. After graduating from the Waltham Hospital School of Nursing in Massachusetts, Kitty made the decision to embark on an adventure by
working at Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in Kentucky. During her time as a nurse at FNS, she was introduced to nurse-midwifery and ultimately decided to attend the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, a part of the FNS, in Hyden, Kentucky, finishing in 1951. During her time as a midwifery student at FNS, Kitty realized the importance of midwifery to the health of women and families. Throughout her life, Kitty often told the story of how awestruck she was when she first witnessed the power of a woman birthing in her own mountain home. Those first births Kitty witnessed as a midwifery student set her on a lifelong course of promoting and supporting women in normal birth, in a safe and comfortable setting, and educating midwifery students in these principles. Kitty knew that educating new nurse-midwives was essential to transforming health care not only for mothers but for their families as well. Following her time at FNS, Kitty went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education from Hunter College in 1957 and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University in 1959. From 195458, Kitty also served as a nurse-midwife for the Maternity Center Association (MCA) in New York City. After practicing as a nurse-midwife, Kitty turned her attention to advocating for nurse-midwives to play an important and respected role in our society’s health care system, a pursuit she continued throughout her life. She also started her own family, marrying Albert T. Ernst in 1961. Together, they had three children, Rosemary, Albert “Ted” Jr., and Kate. During this time, Kitty began working as a parent educator, teaching some of the first childbirth education groups of the International Childbirth Education Association. As a field consultant for MCA, she developed family-centered maternity care provided by an
2 Frontier Nursing University • Quarterly Bulletin
