AUGUST 17, 2017 // 9
LOCAL MUSEUM HONORS
THE ‘LOST ART’ OF
NURSING
Every corner and
surface in the home’s
first floor contains a
nursing memento
By NANCY McCARTHY
FOR COAST WEEKEND
T
he artwork in Melo-
die Chenevert’s home
doesn’t reflect the sea or
the forests surrounding Cannon
Beach. She doesn’t display
crafts by local artisans or books
by Oregon authors — except
the books Chenevert herself
wrote.
But the home is devoted to
art, nevertheless — a lost art.
The Lost Art of Nursing Mu-
seum is entirely contained in
Melodie and Gary Chenevert’s
Tolovana Park home.
From the historic posters,
magazine covers and paintings
of nurses that consume nearly
every inch of wall space, to
the dolls and stuffed animals
(including Miss Piggy) dressed
in nursing outfits on every
surface, Melodie’s living and
dining rooms and the entrance
hall is, indeed, a museum.
In a corner of the dining
room is an early 20th century
wheelchair. In another corner of
the living room is a cape worn
by a former nursing school
director who once lived in Arch
Cape. Beneath the glass in
the coffee table lies Marybel,
surrounded by leg and arm
casts, crutches and measles
spots; she is the “doll who gets
well,” according to the original
60-year-old box.
“Most people who come
here look at everything and try
to absorb it. There’s always
something they’ve never seen
before,” Melodie said.
‘Pride and
productivity in nursing’
When she graduated from
high school in Iowa in the late
1950s, Melodie, who really
wanted to be a writer, found
that more practical career
opportunities for young women
were limited: She could become
a teacher or a nurse. Since she
Continued on Page 16
PHOTOS BY NANCY McCARTHY
LEFT: Melodie Chenevert, a former nurse, has turned the main floor of her Tolovana Home into a museum dedicated to nursing. Artwork collected by Melodie Chenevert includes materials once
used by the Red Cross to recruit nurses. The museum also includes an array of paintings and books.