Remembering Maxine Wilcox

Maxine (Nodland) Wilcox, a retired U.S. Public Health Service nurse, died March 24, 2021, in San Antonio.

Wilcox, 90 and a 1954 nursing graduate, was selected as a Distinguished Alumna in 1982.

She retired in June 1980 as commander of the U.S. Public Health Service – Coast Guard in Galveston, Texas, and was named an honorary admiral of the Texas Navy by Gov. William Clements; the first woman to receive that honor.

Born July 13, 1930, in Sioux Falls, Wilcox graduated from Washington High School in 1948. She began her nurse training at Sioux Valley Hospital (now Sanford) School of Nursing and then earned her bachelor’s degree at State with minors in bacteriology and physical education.

As part of the Distinguished Alumna nomination, Wilcox quickly summed up her career: “I worked continuously from graduation until my retirement—overseas and numerous stateside assignments. While in Indian Health Service, I was stationed in Shiprock, New Mexico, and Seattle.”

One of the defining occurrences of Wilcox’s life came April 30, 1974, when she boarded a Metro Airlines Beechcraft 99 airliner for a flight from Scholes Field in Galveston to Houston Intercontinental Airport. The plane, with 12 passengers and crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff. Only five survived.

The pilot and two passengers were pulled from the burning wreckage by Wilcox, who suffered fractures herself. In a 1980 interview with the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Wilcox recalled the moments.

As the plane was plunging, she said she put a stick of gum in her mouth because she didn’t want to die with bad breath. After the crash, she went into crisis mode, then watched the ambulance leave the crash site without her. She finally reached the emergency room, saw a tooth drop on the floor and realized the gum was still in her mouth.

Because of her actions, Wilcox received a personal letter from President Gerald Ford in 1976. She received a letter of recognition from Assistant Surgeon General Faye Abdellah and a separate letter of recognition from the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Casper Weinberger. 

In addition, Wilcox received the Exemplary Performance of Duty award in 1978 and the Distinguished Service Medal in November 1976, the highest award given during peacetime. 

 After retiring from her federal nursing positions, Wilcox was involved in counseling for victims of catastrophic conditions as well as aging senior citizens and troubled teens and parents.

She was preceded in death by a son, Kevin, in 1991. Survivors include her other son, Charles Wilcox, and grandson Zachary Wilcox.