The 50th graduating class members of the North Oaks School of Radiologic Technology celebrated their accomplishments with a ceremony and reception on June 27.
Graduates include Madeleine Duhon of Lafayette, Brianna Foster of Albany, Jennifer Gresse of St. Rose, Joshua Maggio of Kentwood, Meghan Matherne of Slidell, Taylor Miley of Denham Springs, Ashley Perrault of New Roads, London Raborn of Walker, Kristin Smith of Springfield, Stuart Tournillon of Ponchatoula, and Meggy Worth of Hammond.
Commencement was held in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center, located within North Oaks Diagnostic Center.
North Oaks Health System’s Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Jarreau presided over the ceremony that concluded two years of study for the students, involving 2,000 clinical hours and more than 1,200 classroom hours.
Sandy Miller, daughter of Dr. Red Stuart, spoke to the school’s 50-year history. Stuart was North Oaks’ first and only radiologist for many years.
In the early 1960s, Stuart was finding it challenging to recruit radiologic technologists to work on the Northshore. As Miller tells it, her father approached the hospital administrator at the time, Sister Mary Aloysius, with the idea of starting a school to address the shortage. She agreed, provided that necessary applications were secured through the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) and that Stuart hold himself personally responsible for all costs associated with the school, which he did for many years until the school found solid footing.
Miller recounted how the school has evolved in tandem with the field of radiology by comparing and contrasting the environment in which the first and current graduating classes trained.
The commencement address was delivered by Sandy Miller’s husband, Dr. J.P. Miller, who is a radiologist with North Oaks Imaging Associates.
Before the presentation of diplomas by Program Director Marsha J. Talbert, outstanding achievement awards were given. The Academic Achievement Award was presented to Worth for obtaining the highest overall scholastic average, and the Performance and Attitude Award for exceptional performance in the clinical setting was given to Foster. Dr. Rodney Taylor presented the Dannye Young Taylor Always Remembering Others Award, named in honor of his wife, to Miley in recognition of her outstanding patient care skills.
Members of the class are, seated left to right, Raborn, Matherne, Foster, Gresse, Smith, and standing left to right, Duhon, Worth, Tournillon, Maggio, and Perrault.