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Denver7 joined Volunteers of America during their "I Remember Mama" campaign for Mother's Day

Former Army Nurse Dolores Collins tells Denver7 about treating President Eisenhower and meeting Dr. King
Dolores Collins
Posted at 9:12 AM, May 11, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-11 14:35:38-04

DENVER — What do President Dwight Eisenhower, Cab Calloway and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have in common? They have all met former Army Nurse Dolores Collins, of course.

Denver7 joined Volunteers of America for their annual "I Remember Mama" campaign this week, which includes delivering flowers and goody bags to women in our area before Mother's Day. Thankfully, that led us to the home of the 90-year-old pioneer and legend.

Dolores worked at Fitzsimons Army Hospital from the 1950s until its closure in 1991, and treated President Dwight Eisenhower after his heart attack in 1955. He stayed at the hospital for seven weeks.

"I gave him fresh water, made his bed...did all that stuff for him," said Collins, who moved here from West Virginia when she was 18 years old. "[He was] very nice."

In the above story, you can hear more about the "I Remember Mama" campaign and Dolores' life. She even tells the story of meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and how it did not exactly go as planned!

For more information on the amazing work that Volunteers of America Colorado does, you can head here.