Both Gwen and Carolyn encouraged me to join the MRWBA in 1994, following my clerkship. They said that this is a great way to network with other female attorneys, and they were right. It was a long drive from Chesterfield to downtown Richmond for the lunches, but it was worthwhile. Both Carolyn and Gwen were "top notch" med mal lawyers and I learned from them. There were not many women litigators in this field, and they were role models. We had to learn the medicine in order to take on these cases. I have also followed in their footsteps, and my practice focus is med mal, along with catastrophic personal injury, death cases, and sexual assault.

My mother, Mary Gabriella Brown Alexander, was born in Scranton, Pa. She graduated from nursing school when she was 21. Although she had never left Scranton, she immediately volunteered to join the US Army as a field nurse in the war’s European Theater. Her parents were horrified and marched her back down to the Army office to “unenlist”. The Army said Mom had to go and sent her to North Carolina to leave on the next troop ship to England. She met my Dad, Roy Alexander, who was from Paterson, New Jersey, when he was serving as one of the clerks, checking in the new nurses before they got on the ship. My mother served as an operating room nurse assigned to the 48th Field Hospital in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe from January 3, 1944 until her honorable discharge on December 13, 1946. She was severely injured when a jeep she was traveling in was blown up during the Battle of the Bulge. The other 6 nurses in the jeep were all killed and my mother was left with shrapnel in her shoulder that broke her collar bone, but could not be removed. She had 3 surgeries in Europe and 2 at Walter Reed Hospital when she came home, but she had severe pain and limited mobility with her left arm for the rest of her life. She was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and a World War II Victory Meal for her service. My Dad got assigned to whatever unit my Mom was in while they were in Europe. They married on November 27, 1947 after they came home. My Mom had 9 children and still managed to work full time as the head nurse in Labor and Delivery at St. Mary’s Hospital, until her health forced her to retire. She loved taking care of pregnant moms and bringing babies into the world. I sent all my friends to her, especially for their first births, because my Mom had such a calming, kind presence that made you feel like everything was going to be fine because she was there. She was married to my Dad for 55 years until his passing, and we lost Mom when she passed on May 25. 2007. My mom was a great example for me when I was growing up: she taught me to be kind and helpful, and showed me how to build a lifelong partnership in my marriage. I am in awe of her bravery in getting on that troop ship at 21 to travel thousands of miles from home and I have met many of her friends from the service who told me my Mom was a lifesaver and that her care was the only reason that they made it home from the war. I am so thankful that I was raised by a couple who embodied everything I wanted to be and who made the most beautiful and positive impact on me and my family. I am lucky to have been her daughter and I still miss her every single day.

Founding members of MRWBA

My gift is in honor of my Mom who was the first to in her family to get not just a college degree but also a master’s degree. She always believed and supported me in all of my endeavors. As a school teacher she also was a debate and forensics coach and she was my coach who inspired me to go on to law school. My mom is amazing!!