WVU mom establishes scholarship to support nursing students, honor late parents

A new undergraduate scholarship will honor the hard work of two late Hampshire County farmers, all while supporting the education of WVU School of Nursing students with financial need. The new endowed undergraduate scholarship, the Marvin "Jack" & Ruth Strother Memorial Nursing Scholarship, valued at $25,000, has been created by their daughter, Bonnie DeHaven.

“I felt my parents should be honored in some way for all their hard work and dedication to our family,” DeHaven said. “They were raised on small West Virginia farms and owned their own farm for more than 35 years.”

Thanks to their efforts, the Strothers not only kept their children clothed and well-fed with farm fresh meals, but they were also able to put them through college, debt free. Jack, a World War II veteran, used his GI training to become a farmer. Ruth took business school classes and worked as a secretary during the war and became a homemaker afterward, but she had always dreamed of becoming a nurse.

In 2000, their granddaughter graduated from WVU with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Ruth was ecstatic. She was her biggest cheerleader as she walked across the stage in her cap and gown.

“The education she received at the WVU School of Nursing was priceless,” DeHaven said. “It has been the foundation for a lifelong career in and passion for nursing.” In 2003, the Strothers’ grandson also graduated from WVU, earning his Regents Bachelor of Arts degree concentrating in Sociology and Communication, providing the foundation for a 19-year career.

Inspired by the life her parents were able to afford her and the education WVU provided her children, DeHaven is grateful to be able to support the next generation of nurses.

“I want this gift to be used in a way that it will grow and benefit students in need of financial aid — a way to help students have an opportunity to get great training in the field of nursing and care for people and their families when they are at their worst,” she said. “With the nursing shortage and with the new Children’s Hospital now open, I hope this memorial may help keep West Virginia nurses in our state and help our hospitals be well staffed.”

Dr. Tara Hulsey, Dean of the WVU School of Nursing and E. Jane Martin Endowed Professor, shared her gratitude for DeHaven’s support of nursing education for those with financial need.

“Scholarships can make a huge impact in the lives of future nurses,” Hulsey said. “This gift serves as a wonderful tribute to a hard-working family and as an investment in the state’s nursing workforce.”

DeHaven’s gift was awarded via the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu