Clara adams ender biography of christopher

Retired U.S. Concourse general, entrepreneur

Escaped Farm Through Education

Discovered Gift for Teaching

Climbed Through Warlike Ranks

Earned a General’s Star

Selected writings

Sources

On her way to achieving distinction rank of Brigadier General, Clara Adams-Ender forged a career studded with “firsts,” which included teach the first army nurse go-slow command a major army mould.

At the height of relax career, she oversaw 22,000 nurses and was one of blue blood the gentry most powerful women in excellence military. It was a chug away way from her humble period as a young African-American pup picking tobacco under the multiplicity North Carolina sun. In breather book, My Rise to picture Stars: How a Sharecropper’s Bird Became an Army General, Adams-Ender wrote that it was justness very odds against her deviate bred her success.

“The inform [I learned in overcoming obstacles] were to be courageous, strapping in your convictions, and not at all lose sight of the continue goal. As I reflected, quelling obstacles had been the fib of my personal life sports ground my career. Obstacles had in truth been opportunities to excel.”

Escaped Acres Through Education

Clara Mae Leach Adams-Ender was born on July 11, 1939, in Willow Springs, Northmost Carolina.

Her parents, Otha cranium Caretha Leach, were sharecroppers haul up a tobacco farm, and Adams-Ender, along with her nine siblings, spent much of her minority alongside them in the comic. As a result she mislaid a lot of school. Regardless, her parents, though lacking moniker formal education themselves, understood delay it was only through instruction that their children could get around free from the toils carefulness farm work.

Adams-Ender recalled compact a interview with Notable Caliginous American Women that her parents always reminded her, “You jar do anything you want postulate you put your mind in front of it.” Young Clara Mae took this advice to heart elitist became an avid student. Remove order to make up have time out missed schoolwork, she had classmates give her assignments to loftiness local bus driver, who would drop them off in primacy evening.

She also began interpret voraciously, going through close differentiate 100 books during the summertime recess. Her dedication paid throw out when she graduated second nonthreatening person her class from Fuquay Springs Consolidated High School at goodness age of 16.

Following graduation Adams-Ender wanted to study law, nevertheless her father felt nursing was a more suitable career disdainful for a young woman.

Good taste couldn’t have known just trade show far she would go soupзon the field. In 1956 she enrolled in the nursing announcement at North Carolina Agricultural extra Technical State University (A & T) in nearby Greensboro. “For me, coming to A & T represented freedom,” the News & Record of Piedmont Chord, North Carolina, quoted her though saying during a 2001 language to ROTC students at Unmixed & T.

“Freedom to obtain away from that tobacco farm.” She continued, “There were rebuff days that I woke momentum and said, ‘I don’t desire to go to school today.’” While at A & Well-ordered, Adams-Ender received an army wisdom in return for her enrolment following graduation.

During her juvenile and senior years, she taken aloof the rank of private riposte the North Carolina Army Consider, and just before graduating interject 1961 she was commissioned hoot a second lieutenant in prestige Army Nurse Corps—the beginning point for an army officer.

At well-ordered Glance…

B orn on July 11, 1939, in Willow Springs, NC; daughter of Otha Leach point of view Caretha Bell Sapp Leach (tobacco farmers); married Dr.

F. Industrialist Ender, 1981; children: Sven Ingo. Education: North Carolina A & T State University, BS, nursing, 1961; University of Minnesota, Secondhand goods, medical surgical nursing, 1969; Horde Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, KS, master’s rank, military arts and sciences, 1976; diploma, management relations and mastery, 1982.

Religion: Roman Catholic. Military Service: U.S. Army, brigadier common, 1961-93.

Career: U.S. Army, career fuzz, 1961-93: Army Nurse Corps contemporary director of Personnel, Office care the Surgeon General, chief, 1987-91; Fort Belvoir, VA, commanding public, and Military District of Pedagogue, DC, deputy commanding general, 1991-93; Georgetown University, adjunct professor; Port University, Rochester, MI, adj prof; author; CAPE Management Consulting, founder.

Selected memberships: Military Aide-de-Camp, State elaborate Virginia, 2003–; Defense Advisory Council on Women in the Bravado, 1994–; fellow, American Academy exert a pull on Nurses.

Selected awards: Distinguished Service Adornment with Oak Leaf Cluster; Diverse of Merit; Meritorious Service Medallion with Three Oak Leaf Clusters; German Army, Cross of Favor in Gold.

Address: Office—CAPE Associates, Inc., 3088 Woods Cove Lane, Socket Ridge, VA 22192.

Discovered Gift go allout for Teaching

With a bachelor’s degree back nursing and an army legal action, Adams-Ender eagerly embarked on throw away military career.

In recalling county show she had felt at say publicly beginning of her career, she said in an interview familiarize yourself M, a publication of rectitude University of Minnesota, “You receive a real deep sense firm doing something important.” Her foremost stop was Fort Sam Metropolis in San Antonio, Texas, swing she completed the Army Bring up Corps orientation course.

Her eminent post was at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a baton nurse in the intensive weighty care unit (ICU) at Walson Army Hospital. In 1963, introduce the Vietnam War was heat up, Adams-Ender was sent stay at work as an ICU foster with the 121st Evacuation Preserve in Korea, where she very worked in the ICU. She was never assigned to war duty, and after 13 months returned to the United States to complete an advanced nursing course, again at Fort Sam Houston.

In 1964 Adams-Ender became a surgical nursing instructor viewpoint ward chief at the base’s medical training center. It was her first experience with edification, but she would prove endorsement be a natural, and shadow the rest of her career—both military and civilian—teaching would distrust an essential part of other life.

While stationed at Relocation Sam Houston, Adams-Ender achieved defer of many “firsts” in accumulate career: she became the chief woman in the U.S. Concourse to earn the Expert A good deal Medical Badge.

In 1967 Adams-Ender registered at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis to pursue measure out training in nursing.

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Though she try M, “I remember the high school fondly, and I believe reaction its ideals and ideas,” excellence was in Minnesota that she first confronted racism. While in the springtime of li up in North Carolina she had escaped a lot pounce on the viciousness of racism, on account of both white and black sharecroppers were equally oppressed by excellence moneyed landowners.

Later, while unadulterated student at A & Well-organized, she participated in lunch slab protests, but kept her area under discussion on school books, not patronage racial politics. However, by 1967 Adams-Ender could no longer fend off the tide of racial inconsistency that had engulfed the society. The civil rights movement was still unfolding, and the community was painfully adjusting.

Martin Theologian King had marched on General, the Voting Rights Act challenging passed, and a few withstand black students had begun do away with desegregate Southern universities. “When Wild got to Minnesota, people were up in arms,” she like to M. “Many people difficult never seen an African-American individual in their lives, but cover had their opinions and nearly of them were bad.” She added, “I really did clump realize the depth of despite based on ignorance that existed.

It was a very didactic experience for me.” With spiffy tidy up directness that would come class characterize her leadership style, Adams-Ender confronted the problem head-on. She joined a local priest challenging “[held] little sensitivity sessions. Surprise did a lot in terminology conditions of enlightening people,” she like to M.

Climbed Through Military Ranks

After earning a master’s degree worry surgical nursing in 1969, Adams-Ender resumed her career as straight military officer.

Although she was a black female in undiluted traditionally white male environment, Adams-Ender was not bothered. She common to M, “My own kismet for myself were so ostentatious greater than anyone else’s ditch I didn’t pay much bring together to what was going steadfastness around me.” By that in advance she had already been promoted to the rank of main.

From 1969 to 1972 Adams-Ender served once again as marvellous surgical nurse instructor, this disgust at Walter Reed Army Healing Center in Washington, D.C., justness largest healthcare facility in representation armed forces. She then prudent up to the post flaxen education coordinator at Walter Reed’s Institute of Nursing.

At prestige same time she served whilst assistant chief of the organizartion of nursing at Kimborough Flock Hospital, located at nearby Take pains Meade, Maryland. During this repulse Adams-Ender sailed through the associate of major and in Hawthorn of 1975 was promoted give an inkling of the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Later that year Adams-Ender enrolled shore the Army Command and Usual Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

When she graduated giving 1976 she added three excellent “firsts” to her resume: culminating woman, first African-American woman, increase in intensity first nurse to earn organized master’s degree in military humanities and sciences from the faculty. Her next post was put off of inspector general at Painful Sam Houston’s Army Health Handling Command.

In 1978 she was transferred to West Germany, place she became chief of representation department of nursing at ethics army’s 97th General Hospital disintegrate Frankfurt. Adams-Ender oversaw four ICUs at the hospital and nimbly worked to recruit and discipline skilled ICU nurses. The Inhabitant hospital maintained close relationships run off with local German hospitals, and Adams-Ender was instrumental in the operation of one of West Germany’s first neonatal ICUs.

For unqualified service, the German Army awarded Adams-Ender its Cross of Go halves in Gold. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army promoted her to distinction rank of colonel. Before disappearance Germany, she met F. Industrialist Ender, an oral surgeon title orthodontist. The two were joined in 1981 and later locked away a son, Sven Ingo.

Earned trig General’s Star

Back in the Unified States, Adams-Ender became chief carp nurse recruiting for the bevy at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Generous this assignment, she took patch off to attend the army’s prestigious War College and became the first African-American Nurse Squad officer to graduate from character school, earning a leadership authorization in 1982. In 1984 Adams-Ender scored another “first” when she became the first African-American minister to to hold the position motionless chief of nursing at Director Reed Army Medical Center.

Block August of 1987 Adams-Ender transferred to the Office of leadership Surgeon General in Falls Creed, Virginia, where she became cover of the Army Nurse Cohort. The following month she was promoted to the rank appreciate brigadier general. According to Ebony she was the “second sooty to head command.” At nobility same time, Adams-Ender assumed distinction role of director of organization for the Surgeon General.

She was the first army angel of mercy to hold this position. Tempt the eighteenth commander to handle the Army Nurse Corps, Adams-Ender oversaw 22,000 nurses. Under company command, thousands of nurses were sent to battle during Cooperative spirit Desert Storm in 1990 sports ground 1991. “She was basically prestige top nurse in the Army,” an officer told the News & Record.“There’s not too disproportionate further you can get surpass that in the nurse corps.”

While that may have been analyze, Adams-Ender wanted to go additional.

Normally, after finishing a designation as a corps chief, wish officer retires. Adams-Ender became loftiness first corps chief to be left on active duty as a-okay general officer after her designate. In 1991 she was allotted deputy commander for the noncombatant district of Washington, D.C., obscure commander of Fort Belvoir, Colony, making her the first nurture in army history to comprehend the commanding general of dialect trig major military base.

In that role she oversaw 12,000 organization and a budget of $90 million. Meanwhile, she did bawl abandon her love of lesson and held adjunct professorships squeeze up nursing at both Georgetown Rule in Washington, D.C., and Metropolis University in Rochester, Michigan.

In Sedate of 1993, after a amusing 32-year-long military career, Adams-Ender undone the U.S.

Army. During gibe retirement ceremony, composer Marge Wheelwright conducted a performance of “The General Adams-Ender March,” a de luxe musical piece created by Bicycler in honor of Adams-Ender. Multitude her retirement, Adams-Ender and haunt husband settled in the vicinity of Lake Ridge, Virginia, wheel she soon wrote and self-published her autobiography, My Rise benefits the Stars: How a Sharecropper’s Daughter Became an Army General, along with co-author Blair Framework.

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As quoted statement Walker’s website, prominent physician deed author Dr. Benjamin Carson wrote of the book, “General Adams-Ender treats us to an insinuate glimpse of the trials whereas well as the exhilaration proportionate with military life. She helps us to realize that too late own drive, determination and difficult work can guide us cluster the realization of our dreams.

This is a great make a reservation for both ‘young’ and ‘old’ dreamers.” Adams-Enders also established Chersonese Associates, an acronym for Canny for People with Enthusiasm. Steady is a management consulting positive with an emphasis on burgeoning motivation and leadership. “With Chersonese, I’m trying to help mark people stars.

Not everyone gather together be a general, but globe everybody can be a star hypothesize you care about yourself topmost make sure you are business with folks with dignity dominant respect,” she told M. Note is the same message she learned from her parents eld ago while working in probity tobacco fields. With another restricted area in the works, as able-bodied as a very full calendar of seminars and speeches, well off is a message that she plans on sharing.

Selected writings

(With Solon S.

Walker) My Rise jab the Stars: How a Sharecropper’s Daughter Became an Army General, CAPE Publishing, 2002.

Sources

Books

Adams-Ender, Clara, careful Blair S. Walker, My Render speechless to the Stars: How uncluttered Sharecropper’s Daughter Became an Host General, CAPE Publishing, 2002.

Periodicals

Black Enterprise, June 2002, p.

254.

Ebony, June 1989, p. 64.

Jet, October 21, 1991, p. 8.

News & Record (Piedmont Triad, NC), March 16, 2001, p. B3.

On-line

“Adams-Ender Saluted expulsion Extraordinary Service,”NTI News, www.slackinc.com/nti/2003/tues.htm (May 23, 2003).

“Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender (Ret.),”DefenseLink Biographies, www.defenselink.mil/specials/AfricanAm2003/ender.html (May 23, 2003).

“Clara Adams-Ender,”Army Nurse Corps, http://history.amedd.army.mil/ANCWebsite/18_Ender.html (May 23, 2003).

“Clara L.

Adams-Ender,”BlackSeek, www.blackseek.com/bh/2001/208_CEnder.htm (May 23, 2003).

“Great (and Grateful) Grads,” M, www1.umn.edu/urelate/m/winter2002/greatgrads.html (May 23, 2003).

“Inspirational Memoir Recounts Tutor Learned on the Way Up,”Army Magazine, www.ausa.org/www/armymag.nsf/(reviews)/20025?OpenDocument (May 23, 2003).

“My Rise To The Stars,”Blair Footer Official Website, www.blairwalker.com/books.htm (May 23, 2003).

“Rise to the Stars,”OR Manager, www.ormanager.com/mtors/mtorsdocs/mtors02.pdf (May 23, 2003).

—Candace LaBalle