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Eva Noles

Eva Noles Born: 1919
Death: 2015

Eva Malinda Noles (née Bateman) was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 5, 1919. Her family relocated to Youngstown and Chicago before settling in Buffalo, NY in 1928, where she would later become the city's first African-American nurse. When she graduated from Hutchinson Central High School, she courageously applied and was accepted to E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (now the Erie County Medical Center). In 1940, she finished at the top of her class and became the first black woman to be trained as a registered nurse in Buffalo. After establishing herself in the field, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (1962) and a Master of Arts degree in Education (1967) from the University at Buffalo.

Noles began her career working at Meyer, Sisters of Charity and Columbus Hospitals before she was hired as a staff nurse at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in 1945. She climbed the ranks, breaking race barriers at every step, until she became the director of nursing in 1971. She retired in 1974, and wrote her first book, Six Decades of Nursing at Roswell Park, 1914-1974. From 1977-1984, she worked as a Home Care Supervisor and staff developer at the Medical Personnel Pool.

Eva Noles dedicated her life to nursing, education, and outreach. She has served on many local and national committees, including New York State Board of Nursing and the American Nurses Association. She also served as a board member with the Buffalo General Hospital Board of Trustees, Community Mental Health Center of Buffalo, and Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has received many awards for her dedicated community service, including the Achievement Award of the Buffalo Branch, American Association of University Women and the Uncrowned Queens Institute's Culture Keepers award for outstanding contributions to African American culture in Western New York.

Noles is the author of several publications including Black History: A Different Approach - A Compilation (Buffalo, NY Noles Publishing, 1988); Buffalo's Blacks: Talking Proud (Buffalo, NY Noles Publishing, 1986); and Six Decades of Nursing at Roswell Park, 1914-1974 (Buffalo, Roswell Park, 1975).


Affiliation(s): Alumnus, Benefactor
Record Group(s): 30, 3
Biographical File Contains:
  • Obituary