Gilfoy School of Nursing Graduates Create Scholarship at Mississippi College

Mississippi College nursing students visited the state Capitol in Jackson in late January 2017.

The Gilfoy School of Nursing Alumni Association produced more than 1,400 graduates serving healthcare needs across the state.

Created in the early 1930s and partnering with Mississippi Baptist Hospital in Jackson, the once vibrant organization finally disbanded in August 2016. But its grads continue to cherish the nursing profession and support it in a big way.

In February, Gilfoy leaders, including past president Dene Cook of Pearl, presented a $15,000 check to the Mississippi College School of Nursing to pump into scholarships for MC seniors.

It’s a wonderful and lasting gift that will help nursing students on the Clinton campus for generations to come.

Cook and her colleagues with the former alumni association feel blessed to be a part of the effort to assist MC’s Nursing School in Cockcroft Hall.

“We are extremely honored to assist MC nursing students and further their education,” Cook said.

A 1960 graduate of the Gilfoy School of Nursing in Jackson, Cook worked as a nurse at hospitals in the capital city and in the Delta. She also taught classes as a nursing instructor at Delta State University and Hinds Community College. Cook served in the U.S. Air Force for two years.

Mrs. Cook says she’s thrilled to see the relationship between the old Gilfoy School of Nursing and Mississippi College prosper in the 21^st Century.

Stories appearing in “The Clarion-Ledger” and other publications focused on past connections between the two nursing schools in metro Jackson.

The phase out of the Gilfoy School of Nursing coincided with the birth of the MC School of Nursing, with the Christian university’s first graduates receiving diplomas in 1973. Among them: Mary Jean Padgett, who served for 20 years as the MC nursing dean before retiring two years ago.

Gilfoy grads vividly recall the special occasion when Mississippi College School of Nursing sophomores received their caps in a December 1970 ceremony. Gilfoy nursing students comprising the final graduating class participated in the program that winter day in Provine Chapel on the Clinton campus.

“The Mississippi College School of Nursing and the Gilfoy School of Nursing shared a rich historical tie through the years,” said MC nursing professor Mary Ann Henriques.

“The influence of the Gilfoy nurses touched many student lives across the years in hospitals around the city,” Henriques added. “This influence will continue as these scholarship monies are used for qualified nursing students.”

MC School of Nursing leaders are delighted, she said, to receive the generous gift.

The Gilfoy School of Nursing Alumni Association also supports nursing scholarships at Hinds Community College.