Sen. Robert Clements placed the hefty Congressional Gold Medal on his desk at the Nebraska State Capitol next to a framed image of “Aunt Betty.”
A “conversation piece,” he called it.
And what a remarkable story it tells.
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Grace Elizabeth “Betty” Clements, M.D. |
The tribute, by the UNMC Alumni Association and McGoogan Library staff, is the latest in a string of honors for Grace Elizabeth “Betty” Clements, M.D., which includes that Congressional Gold Medal and induction into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame.
“We’re thrilled that her story has come to our attention,” said College of Medicine Dean Bradley Britigan, M.D. “Our students are building their careers on the shoulders of those who came before. This helps them set their goals even higher.”
“She made the best use of her abilities to help others,” said her nephew, Sen. Clements, who was 14 when she died, five years after a cancer diagnosis.
The senator fondly remembers her generous spirit, noting how he would call his dad (and her brother, Dwight) and a check would arrive from the Betty Clements Trust to pay for his college education. “She was humble and caring and the things she did were challenging,” he said. “I enjoyed getting to know her better through letters that she left.”
On March 10, 2010, Sen. Clements accepted, on behalf of his aunt, the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) for their service, record and “revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces” during World War II.
“She was a great Nebraskan,” John Schleicher of McGoogan Library told generations of proud Clements on a recent spring day.
To learn more about Dr. Clements, visit a display on the library’s seventh floor.
If you are participating in the NE150 Challenge, there is a badge in honor of Betty Clements!