1975 was a year of pet rocks, mood rings, and the USF Health College of Nursing’s first graduating class. In December, alumni from the Class of 1975 reunited at the college to celebrate 50 years.
This landmark occasion called for major celebration. The alumni were inducted into the University of South Florida Golden Guard Society before celebrating at the College of Nursing’s first Golden Gathering dinner. Several nurses returned the next day to be honored at the College of Nursing Fall 2025 Pinning Ceremony.
At the heart of this reunion were Patricia Quigley, PhD, APRN, CRRN, FAAN, FAANP, FARN, and Candice Saunders, FACHE, former CEO of Wellstar Health System in Georgia. Quigley and Saunders were co-chairs of the celebration, tracking down classmates and inviting them to return to the college for the occasion.
“I feel our greatest strength is staying connected,” Saunders said.
“I think there were 10 of us at the Golden Guard induction,” Quigley said. “If you think about that multiplied by 50, we’re talking about over 500 years of nursing. What a cause for celebration.”
Members of the USF Health College of Nursing Class of 1975
After becoming an RN, Quigley returned to USF to join the College of Nursing’s first master’s class. “USF really set the stage for a career of 'firsts': the first graduating baccalaureate class, the first master's class... I was the first rehab clinical nurse specialist to graduate from USF, the first rehab clinical nurse specialist hired at the VA in Tampa.” She went on to another first, earning a doctorate at the University of Florida—the first such program in the state.
Throughout her career, Quigley never strayed far from the college, working as a nurse at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and the VA in Tampa. She also joined the Florida Nurses Association immediately after graduating and has been a member at the Florida State Association of Rehabilitation Nurses since 1977.
Candice Saunders (left) and Patricia Quigley (right) at the Golden Gathering dinner
Quigley's co-chair Saunders spent the first half of her career working as a bedside nurse before transitioning into hospital administration with Wellstar Health System in 2007. She was at the helm as Wellstar grew from a handful of community hospitals to 11 hospitals and more than 400 medical offices. Under her leadership, 34,000 employees cared for 3 million patients each year.
Other alumni echoed similar success stories, each looking back on distinguished careers. Some mastered new disciplines inspired by their nursing education, like public health and veterinary medicine.
Today, the college bears little resemblance to the school these alumni attended in 1975. The group donned hard hats for a first-hand look at the college’s expansion construction and new state-of-the-art facilities.
Members of the 1975 cohort and college leaders after a tour of the construction site for the expansion
“The campus has changed so much since we were here. We took our classes in trailers, really,” Saunders said. “To see how this place has grown and—now—the expansion of the college where I became a nurse, it’s amazing to see.”
Quigley and Saunders returned to the college the day after the Golden Gathering dinner to participate in the Fall 2025 USF College of Nursing Pinning Ceremony. They were honored with commemorative nursing pins as they crossed the stage.
“Everyone who graduates from a nursing program has the responsibility to shape the profession so that others can be shaped by the profession in the future."
Patricia Quigley, PhD, APRN, CRRN, FAAN, FAANP, FARN
For the Class of 1975, the reunion was both a celebration of their pioneering past and a testament to the enduring legacy they continue to shape for future generations of nurses.