DeMers remembered as 'a force' in North Dakota legislative, education arenas

Mar. 20—GRAND FORKS — Judy DeMers, former state legislator and UND administrator, was a "force" who worked tirelessly to serve the people of Grand Forks, and had a deep commitment to medical students and health care throughout the state, friends and former colleagues say.

DeMers, who retired from the UND in 2010, died March 12 in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 79. A memorial service is expected to take place this spring or summer in Grand Forks; details are pending.

DeMers served as associate dean for student affairs and admissions for 27 years at the UND medical school. Prior to that role, she served as an associate professor and director of UND's Family Nurse Practitioner Program and associate director of the UND medical school's Office of Rural Health.

DeMers, who graduated summa cum laude from the UND College of Nursing in 1966, served in the North Dakota House from 1983 to 1991 and the North Dakota Senate from 1993 to 2000.

"Judy was a force," former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) said in a statement released by the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. "When she sunk her teeth into an issue, there was no stopping her, particularly when it meant protecting her beloved profession, nursing.

"For decades, she was the voice for so many people who did not have a voice," Heitkamp said. "She was a legislator that the Democratic-NPL will always be proud to say 'she was one of us.' "

Several other Democrat leaders also expressed their thoughts through the party's statement.

Former U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy said, "Judy DeMers was a leader in improving North Dakota health care for more than 40 years. I worked with her as a fellow legislator and later as an insurance commissioner and congressman. I found her knowledge and counsel to be incredibly helpful as she applied her medical background to creating sound health policy.

"Judy was selfless, funny and hugely talented. Her impact will long be felt in North Dakota health care. We are all better for her life's work."

Sarah Vogel, former North Dakota agriculture commissioner, said, "When Judy was in the Legislature, she stayed at my house for several sessions. I saw her work ethic first hand. The minute the day's session was done, Judy hauled suitcases of reading materials relevant to the next day's session and committee meeting to her room, and she stayed up until she had mastered the issues. Then she wrote her testimony — for or against — in short, clear statements. Then she went to sleep for a few hours, to repeat the next day.

"On the weekend, she went back to Grand Forks to meet with her constituents," Vogel said. "Not only the citizens of Grand Forks, but all citizens of North Dakota were well represented by Judy. She was brilliant and she was the hardest-working legislator I have ever known."

Former State Rep. Lois Delmore said, "Sen. Judy DeMers was a strong public servant in the Legislature. She was an advocate for women and an inspiration for students at the University of North Dakota medical school. She was a strong voice for Grand Forks and for the state of North Dakota. I was proud to serve with her and to call her my friend."

In an email to the Herald, State Senator Tim Mathern said, "Judy was a good and faithful servant of the common good."

"She was passionate about issues," he said. "She was attentive to the needs of persons who suffered from mental illness way before it became apparent that we were in a mental health care crisis. Senator DeMers advanced the independent expertise of the profession of nursing as opposed to the earlier view as nurses being the handmaids of doctors."

At the UND medical school, the first-floor office suite that houses the Student Affairs and Admissions staff is named for DeMers, who established the Judy L. DeMers Scholarship Endowment through the UND Foundation.

Staff members in this space — a popular place for students to hang out — work on medical student recruitment, admissions, financial aid issues, residency placement and the graduation ceremony, said Brian Schill, director of alumni and community relations.

Dr. Tom Johnson, a former UND medical school dean, who served from 1977 to 1988, said he was "roundly criticized for appointing Judy as associate dean for student affairs and admissions because she was a nurse. My appointment proved to be the best for the school because she certainly filled the role in an admirable way.

"She also was someone I could talk to and trust (and from whom) I could receive reliable and helpful feedback," Johnson said.

On DeMers' retirement in 2010, the medical school's dean, Dr. Joshua Wynne, described her as "honest, hard-working, smart, helpful and dedicated to her students. ... She has given extraordinarily outstanding service to our students for decades."

Dr. Kevin Fickenscher, who served as the first director of the UND medical school's Office of Rural Health from 1980 to 1989, later renamed the Center for Rural Health, said that during the formative years of establishing the office "Judy was instrumental in supporting our efforts to develop a program that (would) help solve problems for rural America rather than simply study them. As a result, the Center became an activist organization that conducted assessments on the healthcare needs of communities across the state — and eventually, the entire nation.

"Also, over the course of our decade working together, the Center became one of the premier national programs in rural health," Fickenscher said. "(DeMers) provided wise counsel and guidance as we worked together to assure that rural North Dakota gained access to the very best in health care services. She made a difference for North Dakota and helped me to make a difference for rural health. She was not only a colleague. She was a close friend, confidant and advisor."

After retirement, DeMers spent winters in Phoenix to be near her son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Dawn DeMers, and grandson, Tyler DeMers. In the spring, she returned to her homes in Grand Forks and northern Minnesota lake country.

According to Laura Dronen, communications director for the state Democratic-NPL, DeMers "was a marvelous mentor" to her grandson, who found his passion in law." Tyler DeMers will graduate May 8 from the University of Arizona Law School.