Lillian Flickinger Bernhagen (1916-2013) first attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, before transferring to The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Ohio State in 1940 with a Bachelor's of Science in education and a diploma in nursing. After working briefly in Texas, Bernhagen returned to the Columbus area. In 1951 she took a position as a school nurse in Worthington City Schools. When she retired in 1975, she was the director of health services for the school district.
Bernhagen was a pioneer in development of human sexuality curriculum for children in public schools at both the elementary and high school levels. She was chairperson of both the American School Health Association Sex Education Committee and the American Medical Association Medical Education Committee for Schools and College Health. Her educational materials, including diagrams designed to be shown on overhead projectors, were published and distributed nationwide.
The Lillian Bernhagen Oral History (0.5 linear foot) contains copies of the oral history interview conducted with Bernhagen on January 23, 2003, accompanied by papers about Bernhagen’s life and career.
The collection is open to the public and is available for viewing in the Medical Heritage Center. Materials do not circulate and must be used in the supervised reading room. Restrictions, including copyright, may exist and some materials may be too fragile to photocopy or digitize. The MHC charges for duplication services, which must be performed by staff.
[Identification of item], Lillian Bernhagen Oral History, SPEC.202509.BERNHAGENORALHISTORY, Medical Heritage Center, Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University.