Verona Zelle Inducted into the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame

April 27, 2019

Verona (Orth) Zelle graduated from Allen Memorial School of Nursing in 1952. Her classmates remember her as a brilliant student and noted that she was at the top of the class.

Verona was a registered nurse at Allen Hospital beginning in the late 1960s and worked for 30 years in the recovery room. She eventually became the recovery room supervisor, and per a classmate, Verona was always the “very best nurse she could be.” Verona did wonderful work throughout her career and touched the lives of many during her long-standing calling as a nurse before retiring in 1995.

Verona was an active member of the Allen College Alumni Advisory Board for several years in the early 2000s. She worked to help plan events and raise funds for the Alumni Association. She is a dedicated alumna of Allen College and has always supported the College’s many projects and initiatives.

Her husband of 65 years, Edgar, served as pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Waterloo for 30 years. They are still extremely active in their local Waverly church, St. Paul’s Lutheran. Their family includes four children, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

In Verona’s acceptance letter in 1949, the director of nurses at Allen Hospital wrote, “I hope that you will realize the serious responsibilities you will have as you enter the nursing profession. We need nurses who not only are good students scholastically, but are also of the right spirit. It will be our aim to give you the education and experience so that you will be prepared to practice as a professional nurse and to be the kind of nurse who will be a credit to her profession and school, and still have the ability and capacity to enjoy a good life.”

We believe this sums up Verona perfectly. She has brought pride to Allen College and has made outstanding contributions not only to the healthcare profession, but to her community.