Nursing Faculty Members Memorialize Colleague With Scholarship

Faculty members in the nursing program at Pennsylvania College of Technology have established a scholarship to memorialize a colleague who died last year.

Allyson Wilgar-Jones had been a nursing instructor in the School of Health Sciences at Penn College for about 10 years when she died in June 2004 after a two-month battle with an aggressive form of cancer. She was 45.

"She was an inspiration to many of us through her hard work, high standards, dedication to nursing education, brilliant mind and warm heart. She left a lasting impression on those she touched," said Dorothy M. Mathers, an associate professor of medical/surgical nursing and a member of the Allyson Wilgar-Jones Scholarship Committee. She said those thoughts are shared by all of the committee's members.

"Allyson's students were challenged and held to rigorous standards in her courses, yet she inspired them to do beyond what they often thought they could do. She earned the respect of her colleagues with her interpersonal skills and work ethic," said Dr. Deborah A. Wilson, dean of health sciences at Penn College.

In addition to teaching at Penn College, Wilgar-Jones was a family nurse practitioner, practicing with her husband, Dr. Mike Jones. She left behind two children, Brooke and Brandon, both Williamsport Area High School students.

The Allyson Wilgar-Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund will distribute one scholarship of at least $500 each year to a Penn College student.

To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled as a full- or part-time student in the School of Health Sciences' associate-degree or bachelor-degree Nursing majors. The students must also have applied for, and be eligible for, financial aid and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0. Application requires two letters of recommendation, at least one from a nursing educator.

The scholarship committee will host a 5K walk/run on April 9 to raise money for the scholarship fund. The route will begin at Penn College and work its way to Williamsport Hospital before winding back to the College. Sponsors are being sought for the event. A $100 donation will earn a spot on the event T-shirt that will be given to the first 200 participants who sign up. A raffle on the day of the event will also help to fund the scholarship.

Those interested in making a donation to Wilgar-Jones' memory may send contributions to the "Allyson Wilgar-Jones Fund," Pennsylvania College of Technology, One College Avenue, DIF 20, Williamsport, PA.

For more information, or to register to participate in the run/walk, contact the Allyson Wilgar-Jones Scholarship Committee through the Nursing Education Office at Penn College at (570) 327-4525.