Jane C. Fotos moved with her family from Indiana to Huntington in January 1951 and graduated from Huntington High School in 1952. She attended Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati and graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing with a diploma in nursing to realize her dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Fotos became an instructor in the School of Nursing in 1968 and continued her professional career as a nurse educator until she retired from Marshall University as professor emeritus in 1999. In order to meet the changing academic requirements for faculty teaching in West Virginia-based schools of nursing, Fotos earned BA, MA and RN/BSN degrees and finally embarked in 1979 on a two-year weekly commute to the University of Cincinnati to earn a Master of Science in Nursing.
When she returned to Marshall in 1981 as associate dean of continuing education in the School of Nursing, she continued her academic education and earned one of the first cooperative MU/WVU Ed.D. degrees in 1985. Her father claimed that she had more degrees than a thermometer. During her tenure at Marshall, Fotos traveled to many areas of the state to provide continuing education programs for nurses and taught aspiring new nurses in the classroom and nursing labs, a role she loved. She also chaired the committees that developed the generic BSN and the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner degree programs, served as interim dean for a time and represented the SON on the MU Faculty Senate Executive Committee and other MU committees. She is most proud of being a member of a team of nurse educators who made these important nursing degree programs possible.
She was married to Michael A. Fotos Jr. for 66 years, is the mother of Margo and Michael (Claudia) and grandmother of Kate, and a community volunteer and leader in many civic, church and professional organizations. Fotos was a Girl Scout leader, United Way volunteer, three-term member and board president of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, volunteer nurse and board member of Ebenezer Medical Outreach, and church moderator, among other endeavors. After retirement, Jane and Mike Fotos moved to Woodlands Retirement Community and enjoyed time to golf and travel, including mission trips to Nicaragua.
