Berniece Terminstein’s Legacy of Longevity

By Scottie Thomas

Born on an old farm, a few miles from Fort Branch, Indiana, which she tells me was haunted, Berniece Terminstein is a widow of twenty years. Her husband, Paul was the Director of Purchasing & Material Control for then, Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company (SIGECO), now Vectren. Terminstein currently resides in the same house in Evansville for the last sixty two years now. She has two children: a daughter, Debbie and a son, Mark. Terminstein also has one granddaughter, Sarah.

Debbie now lives in Montana working for Habitat Inventory of Grizzly Bears and trains a new search and rescue dog, Choteau. Mark is a medical researcher for Bristol Myers for the last five years. His main focus is in work with Diabetes, mainly in regards to the development of a drug to help with the condition.

Terminstein is a big fan of genealogy, as she has tracked her ancestry to the Sollman family of Bavaria, with a heavy nationality of German roots. Her great-great-great Uncle William Nennecker was awarded a German Cross Medal during his service in the Franco Prussian War dated 1848-1849.

It is easy to see why her children have taken the career paths that they have given Terminstein’s legacy. She is eighty-two years young and a proud member of the Tea Party as she has spoken before City Council several times.

She joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps for World War II. The last class to be admitted was 1945. The Bolten Act allowed for Room & Board and Tuition for the nurses to be paid for and provide a stipend of $10.00 a month, then. She later worked for the Linda Richards Nursing Home (the first Deaconess Hospital) which had only nineteen beds. It was owned by Major Byron Parson.

Terminstein was the first Registered Nurse to receive the American Nurses Association Achievement Award (Indiana). The Associated Press awarded her as the first recipient of the honor. She has also gone on to win the Evansville Neighborhood Association Spark Plug Award, which recognizes an individual for their efforts in improving their neighborhood and making it a better place.

At one of the City Council Meetings, when speaking to City Council President, Terminstein shared that ‘[She] always felt that Evansville citizens [should] have an open dialogue to better their community.’ She has been involved with City Council the past four or five years. Some of the issues she spoke upon where pertaining to the softball/baseball fields by Roberts Stadium, in addition to the concerns about two Fire Stations (#10 & #14).

One facilitator spoke of Terminstein with these words to offer: ‘Berniece you always have factual arguments to make and show no emotion.’ He then proceeded to ask if she was a nurse. Terminstein is more than a Registered Nurse. She is a caregiver to her family, neighborhood, community and nation. Berniece Terminstein continues to add to her legacy of longevity.