By Joan C. McKinney, news and publications coordinator
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Miss Frances would have been proud.
Congressman Ron Lewis, R-Ky., presented a $50,000 check to Campbellsville University today in honor of the late Frances Gaddie Clinkscales.
The Frances Clinkscales Endowed Scholarship will be used for nursing students and will be awarded in fall 2009 for the first time.
“God is love,” said Lewis, “and there was never anyone who demonstrated more love of God than Miss Frances. When she said ‘I love you' she meant it.”
He said Clinkscales was a servant to man, her church and her community. Lewis said, “I could not think of anyone who deserved this legacy more than her. I'm sure she's looking down and smiling.”
He said Miss Frances will live on serving others through the scholarship. “This is who she is,” he said. “Miss Frances is love.
“It is my honor and privilege for this money to serve others.”
Dr. Michael V. Carter, president, said Clinkscales, who was a registered nurse by profession, was in a CU board of advisors' meeting about nine years ago and her eyes lit up when discussion began about a School of Nursing at Campbellsville University.
Planning meetings were held and the School of Nursing graduated 22 students in its first class in May 2008. Thirty students are scheduled to begin the second class in the fall.
“Miss Frances gave her entire life serving others,” Carter said, “and I can't think of anyone we could honor more. She was such a good friend of Campbellsville University and the community.”
Carter said the scholarship will ensure that the “Campbellsville nurse” will live on and provide monies for students who just need something extra in order to attend college.
“We thank you, Congressman Lewis, for your scholarship, and we appreciate your vision and kind heart to see changes in the lives of young nursing students,” Carter said.
The School of Nursing was dedicated April 25, 2006. Funds for the school came from several places including Lewis, who donated $250,000 in federal funds; Congressman Jim Bunning, R-Ky., who donated $300,000 in federal funds, and the Richard Van Lunen Foundation that donated $750,000.
John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations and executive assistant to the president, said, “Miss Frances is looking down this morning from her eternal home and saying ‘Pretty, pretty' to us all.
“Miss Frances was a beloved lady who touched all of our lives. The legacy of Miss Frances can be carried forth in the lives of students who will benefit from years to come.”
The scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students pursuing nursing. The recipients will be selected by utilizing information provided by the university through the School of Nursing and Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid. The recipients will be selected prior to the beginning of the academic year.
The awards will be made in scholarship amounts based on funds available and number of students selected. There probably will be a total of $2,500 to be awarded for the fall 2009 semester, according to Benji Kelly, vice president for development.
Clinkscales died Feb. 27 at Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown. She was 78.
Clinkscales was a retired nurse from Ireland Army Hospital in Ft. Knox after 37 years of service. She graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she received a nursing degree. She served as a psychiatric aide in 1952 at North Point Hospital in Long Island, N.Y.
Clinkscales was a Campbellsville City Council member, a member of the State Parole Board for eight years, and was instrumental in the startup of the Taylor County Dialysis Center.
The Rev. Daniel Corrie Shull, pastor of First Baptist Church in Campbellsville, led in the invocation, and Kelly led in the benediction.
For more information about endowing scholarships, contact Kelly at (270) 789-5211 or jbkelly@campbellsville.edu.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,405 students who represent 98 Kentucky counties, 25 states and 36 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report's 2008 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South and eighth in the South for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” CU has been ranked 15 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.