Dr. Gene Eakes is Professor Emeritus, ECU College of Nursing and an
internationally recognized Nurse Theorist. She retired in 2020 after a 54-year career. While some might suggest Gene has been “on stage” her whole life, she didn’t officially begin acting until 2007. Since that time she has appeared in “Love, Sex and the IRS” and “Women on Fire” with the Pamlico Playhouse in Washington, NC and the Magnolia Arts Center productions of “Overtones”, “Fahrenheit 451”, “12 Angry Men”, “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean”, “Vesta”, “A Funny Little Thing Called Love”, and “Arsenic and Old Lace”. After taking a 6-week class in basic stand-up skills, she also enjoys performing stand-up comedy as the “Nut-Z-Professor”. She explains that adopting the Nut-Z-Professor persona gives her the opportunity to wear her academic attire which, quote, “she paid dearly for!” Gene, a native of New Bern, lives in Chocowinity with Mark, her husband of 55 years.