Dr. James R. Cook

Miss Lena Arnwine, a dedicated and loyal employee of SFA, died on June 28, 1999. She was born on January 11, 1910 in Jacksonville, Texas. Miss Arnwine was the daughter of Benjamin F. and Edna W. Arnwine. She graduated from Troup High School in 1928 and then attended Baylor University School of Nursing, graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 1932. She also received a Master’s degree in Biology in 1949 from SFA.
Miss Lena, as she was known, joined SFA as a registered nurse in September 1932 and was known as “the college nurse” for the next 42 and a half years, retiring in January 1975. She saw the medical service at SFA progress from one doctor and herself to a staff of four doctors, three nurses, two lab technicians, and a new building before her retirement in 1975.
Miss Arnwine was preceded in death by her brother and sisters: Eugene Arwine, Gertrude Sharp, Ona Mock, Jessie Childers, Ula, Emma, and Emma’s husband Hollis Cook were also graduates of SFA. Surviving family are two nephews and one niece: Randy Cook of San Marcos, Jack Mock of Sisterdale, and Sarah Berman of Tempe, Arizona. Miss Arnwine is also survived by numerous great nieces and nephews and their children.
Miss Arnwine was a lifelong member of the Baptist Church since joining the church in 1926. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Nacogdoches since coming to Nacogdoches in 1932. Near her death, in visiting with her nephew Randy Cook and his wife Pam, she told of using her lunch hour at SFA to go see elderly shut-in’s and giving them their shots because it was so difficult for them to get to their doctor’s office. She very seldom talked about herself. Her life revolved around family, the church, and SFA. She truly was one of God’s special angels placed on earth.