Get to know the Southwest Alabama Nurses Honor Guard nurses
Behind the Cape
We started as a small group of friends who wanted to make a difference in our community by paying tribute to our nursing colleagues who have passed away. Over time, our passion and dedication grew, and we became a recognized volunteer organization. Today, we work with dozens of volunteer nurses. We would like to introduce you to our volunteers by featuring their story “Behind the Cape”.
Get to know Elizabeth “Libby” Davis, RN “Behind the Cape”
Get to know Sabrina Blackwelder, RN “Behind the Cape”
Coming soon…
Get to know Lisa Bennett, RN “Behind the Cape”
Coming soon...
Get to know Elaine Howard, APRN “Behind the Cape”
Coming soon...
Get to know Pam Lee, RN “Behind the Cape”
The Nurse Who Stood in the Storm
Pamela “Pam” Lee has worn many titles in her 34 years of nursing—house supervisor, case manager, ER nurse, disaster response leader—but the one she carries most proudly was simply “nurse.”
Her journey began in a small town, where she first became a Licensed Practical Nurse. From there, she climbed through decades of education and experience, becoming the calm in the center of countless storms.
She has a gift. In the chaos of an ER shift, when alarms scream and emotions run high, she is steady. Families come to her for answers. Doctors trust her judgment. Younger nurses follow her example.
Her work wasn’t confined to hospital walls. For 15 years, Pamela served with the Disaster Medical Assistance Team, heading into floods, hurricanes, and crises where most people fled. She led nurses through disaster zones, making sure that care reached the forgotten corners where suffering lingered.
Her resume tells the story of a woman who has done it all—telemetry, ICU, L&D, PACU, case management—but those were just words on paper. What they really meant was this:
She has held the hands of the frightened.
She has brought order to the unthinkable. She has fought to save lives long after her feet ached and her shift had ended.
Now, as House Supervisor, she guides entire teams through the night, her voice on the overhead speaker calm and clear when codes were called. She trains others not just to do their job, but to care with heart.
Pam never thought of herself as a hero, but the halls remember her. Patients remember her kindness. Nurses remember the way she led them when they were unsure.
Get to know Carmen Johnson, RN “ Behind the Cape”
Coming soon…
Get to know Cheryl McGowan, RN “ Behind the Cape”
Coming soon…
Get to know Renee Culp, RN “Behind the Cape”
A Life in Service – The Story of a Nurse
A proud graduate of The University of South Alabama School of Nursing, class of 1988. Renee Culp, RN, BSN. She was young, proud, and full of hope—ready to step into a life of caring for others.
Her first job was where it had all begun—Mobile Infirmary, on the postpartum floor. She had worked there as a nursing assistant while earning her degree, so the halls were familiar, the staff like family. For three years, she cared for mothers and newborns, helping families start their first chapters together.
But Renee was never one to stand still. She tried labor and delivery in Monroe County Hospital, serving a tiny rural community, but soon realized it wasn’t where her heart belonged. She moved on to Springhill Memorial’s acute care stepdown unit, where for two years she sharpened her skills, caring for patients in critical transition.
Life was changing. Renee was expecting her first child, and so she came home—taking a job as an industrial nurse at Alabama River Newsprint for two years, caring for employees and keeping a watchful eye on their safety and health.
When her children were still young, she found her calling in home health with the State of Alabama. For 7½ years she drove country roads and knocked on strangers’ doors, bringing skilled care and comfort right into their living rooms. She was the Home Health Aide Supervisor then, leading others to serve with the same compassion she carried in her heart.
When budget cuts left most of the nurses laid off, Renee didn’t stop serving. She went to The Pines in Evergreen, a crisis psychiatric stabilization unit, where she became Assistant Director. For seven years, she worked with some of the most vulnerable patients—restoring dignity, safety, and hope—until the unit closed its doors for good.
She returned to home health, this time as a Clinical Manager in Greenville, guiding her team for another decade. Even after that, when her children were grown and leaving the nest, she continued her work in Evergreen for five more years—until life asked her to make her greatest act of care yet..
Southwest Alabama Nurses Honor Guard
Board of Directors & Founding Members
Alabama State Nurses Honor Guard Coverage Areas
Join or start a new chapter in your area!
Explore our current chapters to discover the latest volunteer opportunities. If there isn’t a chapter in your area, please contact us for more information about starting one! Our aim is to ensure that every nurse in Alabama can receive a tribute if they desire one.
If you ever encounter the opportunity to be part of this honorable tribute, it’s a chance to express gratitude and respect for those who dedicated their lives to healing and caring for others.
National Nurses Honor Guard Coalition