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When Colon Furr of Asheville was elected to serve as the Department Commander of North Carolina in June of 1988, he chose as his goal for the department, the establishment of nursing scholarships by the various posts in N. C. His hope was that this would help to eliminate the nursing shortages in the VA hospitals.
Several months after his election Commander Furr passed away. When the Department Executive Committee met to elect a successor to Commander Furr, they also voted to create the Colon Furr Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund at department headquarters.
The DEC's feeling was that by setting up a state wide fund the department could honor Commander Furr and also give all American Legion posts in North Carolina, regardless of their size or financial status, an opportunity to participate in a worthy program and to help their comrades who must use the facilities of the VA hospital system by easing the nation-wide nursing shortage.
Bob Cagle, elected by the DEC to follow Furr as Department Commander, Immediately appointed a special committee to develop a plan for this new program. Through the generous donations of posts, auxiliary units, SAL squadrons and individuals the fund started to grow.
During the 1992 Spring Conference the Colon Furr Memorial Nursing Scholarship Committee announced the winner of the first scholarship to be awarded from the fund. The recipient of the $500 scholarship was Miss Susan Byers, endorsed by Rocky Mount Post 58.
Because of the many NC legionnaires and posts that have made donations to the fund, the program made great strides. Since that first scholarship in 1992, the Colon Furr Memorial Nursing Scholarship, now awarded by the North Carolina American Legion Riders (since 2014), has awarded a total of 157 scholarships. Scholarships are currently for $600.00.
Students interested in applying for one of the scholarships should contact a member of their local North Carolina American Legion post. Scholarship nominees must be sponsored by a local North Carolina American Legion post. Winners of the $600.00 scholarship are selected at the annual Fall Conference.
The number of scholarships to be awarded will vary depending on available funds.
Program guidelines and application forms may be obtained by contacting department headquarters or by downloading and printing the form below..
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