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East Texas Baptist University takes on new role with Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship

June 3, 2021

East Texas Baptist University is partnering with the Cargill family to help facilitate the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship program. Jerry and Jack Cargill founded the scholarship to honor their mother, Polly Cargill, and support nursing students in their journey to become competent, equipped, compassionate health care workers. Since its inception 19 years ago, the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship has provided financial aid to 60 nursing students from schools across the East Texas region, including East Texas Baptist.

“We are deeply grateful for the Cargill family and their enduring generosity to provide scholarships for nursing students in East Texas and Northwest Louisiana,” ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn said. “The Cargill family has left an indelible mark on Marshall, Waskom, among other cities in East Texas. Their legacy of love and support for healthcare education has given life and hope to many people—certainly here on the Hill of East Texas Baptist University and in our School of Nursing in the downtown Marshall Grand. I praise God for the Cargill family, and look forward to what lies ahead in our shared Kingdom educational partnership.”

The Polly Cargill Endowed Nursing Scholarship at ETBU was established with an initial gift of $282,000. An anonymous donor matched the $282,000 for nursing scholarships to bring the corpus of the Polly Cargill Endowed Nursing Scholarship at ETBU to $564,000. The scholarship will be awarded through application to students admitted into ETBU’s School of Nursing. Jerry and Judy Cargill also made a contribution of $282,000 to the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship Fund held at a foundation in Dallas. Joining Jerry and Judy, Jack Cargill made a legacy gift to the ETBU Polly Cargill Endowed Nursing Scholarship.

“The number of Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarships has steadily grown over the years from two to four to six per year, and the new partnership with ETBU has made a significant increase in the number of scholarships and future nurses we can support and help impact the communities of East Texas,” Jerry Cargill said. “The prospects for the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship program are brighter than ever.”

The Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship funds held at the Dallas foundation will be awarded to students from East Texas and Northwest Louisiana who have been admitted to Nursing education programs, including ETBU, Kilgore College, Panola College, and UT-Tyler. Applications are available in the Nursing Departments at the respective schools.

“This scholarship provides amazing support to future nurses. It means a lot to me that people in Marshall are investing in our future and giving us the best opportunity to succeed,” ETBU Nursing graduate and 2019 scholarship recipient Joshua Hartley said. “ETBU gave me more than just an education. It helped me spiritually and helped me grow as a person and as a future nurse. I have received more than I could ever ask for at ETBU and the Polly Cargill scholarship helped make it possible.”