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Bertha Pankratz |
Pankratz, who was born in Omaha but spent most of her life in Grand Island, was a nurse who believed strongly in education. When she died last year in July at age 93, she donated the largest gifts from her estate to educational institutions, one being the College of Nursing.
Pankratz, who attended nursing school in Boston, returned to Grand Island and practiced as a nurse until 1953.
“Being a nurse was her love,” said Trudy Supalla, Pankratz’s great niece. “She would speak about nursing until her mind wouldn’t allow it.”
Pankratz, who was very wise with her money, invested in ConAgra when the stock was low, Supalla said.
“She thought it would be a good investment because, ‘All these people have to eat,'” Supalla said.
Dick Rabe of Five Points Bank in Grand Island was Pankratz’s trust officer for the last 20 years.
“She thought education was important for everybody,” Rabe said. “She lived frugally though she was wealthy from investments in ConAgra stock.”
Pankratz, who was single, had many hobbies, including purchasing, renovating, selling and renting out homes. She was an animal lover and supported a variety of organizations, including the Humane Society. Pankratz loved birds in particular, Supalla said.
“She raised and sold birds to pet shops,” Supalla said. “She also enjoyed working with ceramics. She was quite an artist and did quite a lot of work with ceramics.”
College of Nursing Dean Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., said the college is thankful for the gift.
“I am enormously grateful to Ms. Pankratz for her love of nursing and her foresight in understanding the importance of endowed chairs in academic nursing,” Dr. Tilden said. “This visionary woman, living frugally in mid-Nebraska, was a lover of education and obviously was insightful about the role endowed chairs play in attracting new faculty. In this era of faculty shortage, a new endowed chair allows the college to compete nationally for outstanding faculty. It is an honor to have the Bertha Pankratz Endowed Chair in Nursing in the college.”