January 25, 2022
East Texas Baptist University’s School of Nursing has officially been renamed the Teague School of Nursing in recognition of two nurses who left a great impact on the people they cared for, and in honor of the lifetime of outstanding and generous support of ETBU alumnus Dr. Jim Teague (’68). This marks East Texas Baptist’s first school to be named after females, and the third academic school out of eight to hold a namesake at the University.
“We are indebted to Mr. Teague, and ever so grateful for his generosity and devotion to the ETBU Family in helping advance the institution in educational impact and elevate the business school and nursing school in academic reputation,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn said. “His benevolent gifts stand as a milestone in the life of this University. Future business and nursing students and graduates of ETBU will be impacted in mind, body, and spirit because of his Kingdom investment in the intellectual development and spiritual formation of ETBU Tigers and their faculty.”
With Dr. Teague’s generous support of the University, the new name of the Teague Nursing School carries the legacy and significance of both Norma Raye Teague (Dr. Jim Teague’s late wife) and Hilda Harris Teague (Dr. Jim Teague’s late mother), who both faithfully served as nurses throughout their respective careers.
Norma Raye Teague was born in Bakersfield, California, on July 21, 1938, and died on February 25, 2002. At the start of her career, she served as an emergency room aid and later went back to school to become a nurse, where she served in several doctor’s offices, primarily family practice, and home health. As Dr. Teague reflected on his late wife, he notes that “Norma Raye was a natural at being a nurse. She had a heart for people, she had a big, beautiful, and welcoming smile, and she had a great sense of humor.”
Hilda Harris Teague went to school at Grand Cane School in Grand Cane, Louisiana, where she was a standout basketball player. Upon graduating high school at sixteen, she went on to enroll in nursing school at the age of seventeen to become a registered nurse. Hilda spent many years as a surgical nurse and retired as a nursing supervisor at Huey P. Long Memorial Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana. Hilda Harris Teague left a legacy as a loving wife, wonderful mother, and committed nurse.
The excellence and caliber of health care exemplified by both Norma Raye Teague and Hilda Harris Teague align with the outstanding education provided by the Teague Nursing School, which was ranked as a #1 program in Texas by RNCareers.org in 2021.
“The profession of nursing has a legendary legacy dating back to Florence Nightingale, but since that time, many others have picked up the lantern and the pitcher,” ETBU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Sanders said. “That’s why connecting ETBU’s Teague Nursing School to two individuals who have been stewards of the healing ministry of nursing is so appropriate for today.”
To learn more about East Texas Baptist’s Teague School of Nursing, please visit www.etbu.edu/nursing.