Nellie was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on August 26, 1925, and grew up in New England. As a high school camp counselor, she saw a snake dissected just after it had eaten a mouse; fascinated, she decided to become a doctor. She graduated from Mt. Holyoke College in 1947 and Tufts University School of Medicine in 1951. Nellie was one of just five women in her medical school class and, she believed, the only one to practice medicine for any length of time. After graduation she moved to Dallas to take up the second residency in anesthesiology at Southwestern Medical School (now UTSW). In 1953, Nellie become the first Director of Anesthesia at Children’s Medical Center, responsible for pediatric anesthesia and for training residents. In 1955, she became Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and by 1960 was overseeing some 1800 surgical cases a year. Nellie also served on the volunteer medical staff of the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center of Dallas and consulted with Scottish Rite Hospital. She remained Director until 1966, when she stepped down after marrying pediatric radiologist Guido Currarino. She retired from the clinical faculty in 1970.
A female anesthesiologist was a novelty in the Fifties and Sixties. Nellie was the subject of numerous newspaper articles, more likely to describe her as a “decorative Dallas doctor” than as the strong patient advocate she was. “There is no such thing as minor anesthesia if it’s happening to you”, she liked to remind residents. In the early 1950s, she and Dr. M.T. “Pepper” Jenkins, the first chair of Anesthesiology, became responsible for treating polio patients with respiratory problems. At one point they oversaw 48 patients in iron lungs or rocking beds in Parkland Hospital’s un-airconditioned wards. Between 1951 and 1965, Pepper and Nellie treated 96 tetanus patients and, with a specially trained nursing staff, kept the mortality rate at 12.9%, far below the national rate of 40%. Nellie’s persuasive powers were considerable. In 1966, she convinced fundraisers at Children’s to buy am Engstrom volume-cycled respirator, despite the $6,500 price tag.
After she retired, Nellie was active for many years in the Dallas Opera’s outreach program for area students. She was a long-time member of the Christ the King Choir. She enjoyed “grubbing about in the garden”. cooking and traveling with her husband Guido to his native Italy. Nellie is survived by her daughter, Rosanne Currarino; her son-in-law, Christopher Warley; cousins, nieces and nephews; and many friends, especially Norma Aguirre and Rose Nyamichaba.
A Funeral Mass will be held Friday, December 10, 2021, at 10:00 am at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church, 8017 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored by contributions to the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas or the American Indian College Fund.
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