Della V. Knight (28 January 1878 – 17 September 1960) went to the German Hospital Training School for Nurses in Brooklyn, New York and graduated on 12 May 1903.
In 1909, this was revised and nurses were now detailed to medical facilities outside of Washington D.C. to Annapolis Md., Brooklyn N.Y., and Mare Island, California.
Upon completion of her Navy Nursing Program in Washington D.C., she was assigned to the Naval Hospital Brooklyn New York on 15 March 1909.
She was aware that there would be a need for more trained Chamorro (native) nurses to work in the hospital and at medical stations in villages across the island.
They were required at that time to have a male or older female family member as chaperone to protect the reputations of unmarried women.
She heard about Maria Roberto who was highly regarded within the community with a strong morale reputation, and offered her a position as chaperone at the hospital.
She wrote "United States Naval Hospital, Ft. Lyon Colorado"; "Red Cross Work in the Northern Pacific Disaster"; and an editorial of the American Medical Association, dated 25 January 1919, "The Supply of Practical Nurses.
"[9] Della Knight wrote and published an article on her experience in setting up the Native Nursing Program in Guam: "Maria Roberta – A Tribute.