John Francis
Garde, CRNA,
MS, FAAN
Healthcare
Icon
Dedicated
More Than 50
Years to
Nursing
Professions
An
iconic
figure in
the
healthcare
community,
John
Francis
Garde,
CRNA, MS,
FAAN, passed
away on
Tuesday,
July 21,
2009. The
Park Ridge,
Ill.,
resident was
among the
Who’s Who in
nurse
anesthesia
and nursing,
dedicating
more than 50
years of
service to
healthcare
provider
education
and patient
safety.
Among the many highlights of John’s storied career, in 1972 he became the first male president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the professional association which now represents more than 40,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) across the country. John was instrumental in the association’s growth and rise to prominence in the healthcare community, serving as the AANA’s executive director from 1983-2001. Active in healthcare even after retiring from the AANA, John returned to the association in February 2009 as interim executive director, where he was serving when diagnosed with cancer. He died quietly at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, surrounded by family and friends.
John embarked on this life’s journey November 22, 1935, in Jacksonville, Ill., where he was born to the late William and Florence Garde. During his developmental years, he attended Routt High School in Jacksonville, and graduated in 1953.
Upon graduation from high school, John fulfilled his military obligation by serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Public Health Service in Detroit, Mich. After he was discharged from the military, John enrolled in the Alexian Brothers Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago, and from there began to make his indelible mark on the field of nurse anesthesia, nursing, and healthcare as a whole.
John had a zest for life that revealed itself in boundless ways, especially his relationships and the way he went about his business. Throughout the many roles he fulfilled in his life—teacher, caregiver, executive director, friend—John always saw the potential in people. Never one to get bogged down in minutia, he liked to “keep things moving” (as he always said) and approached every challenge with an optimistic outlook, qualities to which he attributed much of his success. Besides his accomplishments, John may have been best known for his ability to wittily convey his sentiments about an issue or event with one of his many trademark comments, always delivered with a sly smile and playful tone of voice: “If it was easy anyone could do it,” “Chicken today, feathers tomorrow,” “Too much fluff,” and “Do the do” which he was saying long before the phrase was popularized in soft drink commercials.
During his tenure as AANA executive director, John spearheaded the advancement of nurse anesthesia education programs to a graduate framework; the development of AANA public policy and a federal government affairs office in Washington, D.C., which now manages one of the nation’s largest PACs; the attainment of Medicare direct reimbursement for CRNAs; and the formation of the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists.
After his retirement from the AANA, John continued to share his knowledge of the nursing profession through his consulting business and by serving as interim executive director for various associations in leadership transition, including the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and the American Academy of Nursing.
With a career in anesthesia that spanned more than five decades, John began working in the late 1950s as a staff anesthetist at the U.S. Public Health Hospital in Detroit, and later served as division head for the Department of Anesthesia at Detroit General Hospital, director of the Wayne State University Program for Nurse Anesthetists, and as an associate professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesia, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Wayne State University.
A native of Illinois, John returned to his home state in 1980 to fill the position of AANA education director, a position he held for three years until becoming the AANA executive director. John’s career highlights included receiving the Agatha Hodgins Award (the AANA’s highest honor) in 2000 and the AANA Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator Award in 1998; receiving the John C. Thiel award from Association Forum of Chicagoland in 1999; being inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1994; receiving the Distinguished Educator Award from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1992; and being named an honorary life member of the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 1974.
In his acceptance speech for receiving the Agatha Hodgins Award, John warmly thanked his CRNA colleagues by stating, “Throughout my career as a nurse anesthetist, various groups and individuals have made a big difference in orchestrating my accomplishments. All of you have lifted me. I imagine when the committee and Board of Directors were considering nominees for the award, accomplishments and contributions were considered. But what probably went unnoted was how many people opened doors, gave me a hand, allowed me to lean on them when times got rough, and sometimes even carried me. My greatest accomplishment is being honored in front of all of you…”
A CRNA for more than 50 years, John received his master’s degree in physiology from Wayne State University’s School of Medicine in Detroit and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Detroit. In addition, he earned his nursing diploma from the Alexian Brothers Hospital School of Nursing and his anesthesia diploma from St. Francis School of Anesthesia in La Crosse, Wis.
John was preceded in death by his father William Garde; his mother, Florence Doolin Garde; his stepmother Agnes Doolin Garde; his brothers, Joseph Garde, and Howard Garde; and his sister, Margaret Ann McQueen. He leaves to cherish his memory his partner, Howard Huff (Scottsdale, Ariz.), and 4 nieces and 4 nephews: Bridget Garde White (Jacksonville, Ill.); Deann McQueen-Rose (Springfield, Ill.); Mary Kay McQueen-Bilyeu (New Berlin, Ill.); Celeste McQueen-Steel (Athens, Ill.); Michael Garde (Jacksonville, Ill.); William Garde (Jacksonville, Ill.); Patrick Garde (Murrayville, Ill.); and Andrew McQueen (New Berlin, Ill.); and dear friends Ron and Susan Caulk (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Christine Zambricki and family (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), and countless other friends and colleagues.
Funeral services were held at St. Paul of the Cross Church in Park Ridge, Ill., on July 25. An official obituary and press release were distributed nationally between July 22-24, 2009.