Valerie M. Orridge, R.N. Way (Manhattan)
Present name:None
Location:Northeast corner of 139th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard
Honoree: Valerie Marie Orridge (1932-2017), a registered nurse for 50 years, was born in Harlem Hospital in 1932 and was trained at the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing. She went on to earn a B.S. Degree in Nursing Education from Teachers College and a Master’s Degree in Human Sexuality and Family Life from N.Y.U. In addition to working as a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital, Ms. Orridge taught Sex Education to the special needs' clients of the Harlem Hospital Department of Psychiatry. A resident of Delano Village/Savoy Park for 50 years, she was a tenant organizer and the President of its Tenant Association for over 35 years. She taught generations of Harlem residents to fight for their rights. Ms. Orridge sat on the Board of Directors of the School Committee at the Cathedral School of Saint John The Divine, and was the Chair of the school's Minority Interests Committee from 1976-1980. A Certified Sex Educator, she taught human sexuality to the mentally challenged at Harlem House, a part of Harlem Hospital. For more than ten years, she voluntarily provided sexuality education to the members/ patients of Harlem Clubhouse, an outpatient psychiatric rehabilitation program based on the Fountain House model. She developed innovative methods to educate, inform and guide patients/ members at Harlem Hospital Residency Training and Education Program, where she taught the importance of recognizing human sexuality among the mentally ill and embracing strategies for addressing their needs. Valerie M. Orridge was the Registered Nurse for the A. Philip Randolph Senior Citizen Center until her death. (Perkins)
LL:2018/139