Honourary Membership received on April 14, 2026

Nominated by Cathy Ebbehoj and Margaret Scaia                                                                                             

Lynne Esson has been an integral part of building the strong foundation of what is now the BCHNS.  She joined the BC History of Nursing Professional Practice Group in 1995. She was never one to crave the spotlight but stepped up quietly when needed to take on a number of long-term roles, including Vice President, Secretary, Chair of the Memorial Book Committee, Co-Editor and then Editor of the Newsletter, and Member-at-Large.  In helping to disseminate and preserve the history of nursing and nursing in BC, Lynne supported the Lady with the Lamp exhibit at St. Paul’s Hospital in the late 1990’s, and regularly supported the organization of nursing history conferences, including the one held at UBC as part of the Congress in 2019. She was also part of the Abstract Review committee for the CAHN conference in 2006.  The feature story in the BCHNS Newsletter Summer 2018 shows Lynne and others dressed in a parade of past and present nursing uniforms to celebrate Nursing Week in collaboration with Vancouver Island University.

Lynne was born in Torphins, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at the local cottage hospital.  The same village that is famous for Walkers Shortbread. The family immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in October 1966 and by December had driven across Canada to settle in Surrey, BC.  Lynne completed her RN at Vancouver Community College, Langara in 1983.  She worked at St. Paul’s Hospital in adult acute medical-surgical nursing.  In 1988 she received her degree from the University of Victoria.

Lynne started at the UBC School of Nursing in 1988, travelled, and returned to UBC as a research assistant.  She began teaching full-time in April 1991, showcasing her expertise in medical-surgical theory, labs, and clinical practice consolidation.  Some of her leadership roles included BSN admissions, current student advising, mentoring new faculty, and coordinating exchanges between Guru Nanak and UBC nursing students.  In 1999, she co-authored Nursing Foundations: A Canadian Perspective (2^nd ed.) with Dr. Beverly DuGas and Sharon Ronaldson. Lynne received the RNABC Award of Excellence in Nursing Education and, in 2019, the UBC School of Nursing Centenary Medal of Distinction during the School’s centennial celebration.

Lynne’s contributions to the BCHNS have been many and significant, and they truly embody the mission of the BCHNS of discovering, disseminating and preserving the history of nursing in BC.