September 11, 2026
Students from East Texas Baptist University’s Teague School of Nursing were among those honored with the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship, generously provided by the Jerry and Jack Cargill family in partnership with ETBU. A total of 30 local students, including 17 recipients from ETBU’s nursing program, were recognized during a special reception held September 10 at the Marshall Grand, home of the Teague School of Nursing.
Polly Cargill’s experience receiving exceptional care from nurses at Good Shepherd Marshall Hospital left a lasting impression on her sons. In her memory, the Cargill brothers established the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship to support East Texas students pursuing nursing and preparing to provide quality patient care.
“We are grateful for what God has done through the Cargill family to help us prepare nurses for God’s call in their lives,” ETBU President Dr. J. Blair Blackburn said. “It’s always a delight to hear the history of how the Lord put it in the hearts of these two brothers to honor their mother by investing in the future of nursing education through scholarships.”
ETBU nursing students Kimberly Brents, Seth Bright, Alyssa Ehler, Autumn Ellis, Senga Felekeni, London Haaland, Melissa Martinez-Chavez, Amber McCarthy, Brooke Nalley, Katelyn Payton, Kaylee Rabb, Isabel Ramirez-Gonzalez, Kady Spears, Maggie Stephenson, Selah Tenbrink, Kennedy Wylie, and Lindey Young, were each awarded a Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship. Nursing students from UT Tyler, Tyler Junior College, Panola College, and Kilgore College also received Polly Cargill scholarships.
“It is truly an honor to be a recipient of a scholarship created from such a meaningful experience,” ETBU senior nursing major Kennedy Wylie shared. “As a nursing student, I am grateful not only for the financial support, but also for the story and legacy behind this scholarship. Knowing that the care their mother received inspired her family to invest in the next generation of nurses is incredibly special to me. I hope to carry that same compassion and dedication into my own nursing career and one day make the kind of difference in a patient’s life that those nurses made in Polly’s.”
Now in its 24th year, the Polly Cargill Nursing Scholarship has supported nearly 200 nursing students from schools throughout the East Texas region. Recipients gathered in the Grand Hall of the Marshall Grand for recognition from their educational institutions and the scholarship’s founders.
“Today we celebrate our mom’s life and honor the wonderful care she received in the last days from some amazing nurses who made every effort to ease her passing,” Jerry Cargill shared. “Not only were they helpful to mom, they were equally as kind to Jack, Judy, and myself. We’re here to recognize you as new young leaders who will soon add your skills to this important profession. Nurses strive to do what’s right, they work hard to be the best at what they’re doing, and their lives serve as a blessing for all the people they encounter. Thank you all for what you will do throughout your careers.”
Following the recognition of the scholarship recipients, Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Kelly Jenkins gave the charge to the students, challenging each of them to enter the nursing profession with an understanding of how even the ordinary moments with those under their care can make all the difference.
“Sometimes what a patient remembers most is simply someone who cared,” Dr. Jenkins said. “Someone who listened, someone who stayed, someone who treated them with dignity, someone who reminded them that they are not alone. As you receive this scholarship today, don’t simply see it as financial support. See it as an investment from someone who believes that you are worth investing in. You have the opportunity and the responsibility to become the nurse who makes another person feel that they were worth caring for. That is why Polly’s legacy matters.”
Dr. Jenkins encouraged the group by reminding them of the promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:24: “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”
“Notice it does not say, ‘the One who calls you will make it easy,’” Dr. Jenkins continued. “It does not say ‘you will never struggle.’ It does not say ‘you will never fail.’ It says ‘the One who calls you is faithful.’ You are not called to be perfect, you are called to be faithful, to care, and to serve as the nurse God has uniquely equipped you to be.”