Patsy Hesen Haslam

Born January 7, 1942, in Charleston, WV, she was the daughter of the late John W. Hesen, Jr. and his wife Frances Loving Hesen of Morgantown, WV.
Dr. Haslam spent many of her formative years in the Hinton, WV school system before attending Greenbrier College and graduating from Morgantown High School in 1959. She was a graduate of the first nursing class from West Virginia University School of Nursing where she was a member of Chimes, Spokes, and Mortar Board, three of the female honoraries at West Virginia University, Sigma Theta Tau, the national nursing honorary and Kappa Kappa Gamma, social sorority. She continued her education by receiving a Master’s of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh and later a Ed.D. of Higher Education at West Virginia University.
Patsy devoted her working life to the care of others as a nurse and to educating those who would also provide nursing and health care in the future. Following her graduation from West Virginia University in 1963 she worked as a public health nurse for the Monongalia County Health Department. Later she was a nurse at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, and taught nursing and served as coordinator of the Beckley Campus for Bluefield State College. She spent her final 18 years working and helping to create and expand the nursing and health sciences programs at Mountain State University where she recently retired as the Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences.
She will be remembered as one of the women in Beckley that established the right of fathers being allowed into the delivery room to support their wives through childbirth, and also as teacher of the Lamaze Childbirth Method, which she often taught out of her own home. Dr. Haslam was active in her community and was a lifetime member of the Woodcliff Garden Club, a past president of the Raleigh County Garden Council, a former member of the Beckley Women’s Club where she helped to establish the Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia, a member of the Beckley Rotary Club and a member of the Beckley Presbyterian Church.
In her professional career she was a member of the American Nurses Association, the West Virginia Nurses Association and the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses which she was the president for five years. At her death, she was the president of the Raleigh County Health Department.
In her spare time she enjoyed reading good books, gardening, and playing the piano. Most of all she loved being outdoors and enjoying nature’s beauty.
Patsy is survived by her husband, William D. Haslam; a son William Don Haslam, Jr. and his wife Gaye and their two children Jacob and Grace of Greensboro, NC; her daughter Ann Marie Haslam Hart and her husband Andy and their two children Gilbert and Teddy of Laramie, WY; and by her youngest daughter Virginia “Ginny” Haslam Cline and her husband Garrett and their daughter Mackenzie of Cumming, GA.