Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation Records A Guide to the Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation Records, 1983-2013 2014.Jan.1 A Collection in Special Collections and Archives, Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Accession number 2014.Jan.1

A Guide to the Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation Records, 1983-2013 2014.Jan.1

A Collection in Special Collections and Archives, Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Accession number 2014.Jan.1


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VCU Health Sciences Library

Special Collections and Archives 509 N 12th St
Box 980582
Richmond, Virginia 23298
Business Number: (804) 828-9898
libhssca@vcu.edu
URL: https://www.library.vcu.edu/research-teaching/special-collections-and-archives/locations/

Margaret T. Kidd

Repository
VCU Health Sciences Library
Identification
2014.Jan.1
Title
Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation records 1983-2013
URL:
http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=vcu-tm/vircuh00048.xml
Quantity
0.36 Linear Feet, 1 document case
source
Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation
Creator
Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation
Language
English .

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Box-folder, Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation collection, 2014/Jan/1, Special Collections and Archives, Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Aquisition Information

Gift of the Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation in 2013.


Biographical/Historical Information

Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation

The Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation was established in 1983 by a group of Mason's friends following her death earlier that year. Mason dedicated her professional career to nursing and vocational education. Her friends and colleagues created this scholarship to show their gratitude for the outstanding work she accomplished over her thirty year career. The minutes of the first meeting stated their intention that the scholarship be a "living memorial to a Great Lady" and that the "contributions made by the friends of Dr. Mason will enhance and inspire the lives of the students and or teachers who will be the recipient of such funds."

The board of the foundation was composed of representatives from organizations that Mason worked with during her career including the Virginia Licensed Practical Nurse Association, the Virginia Health Occupations Education Association, Old Dominion University, and Norfolk Public Schools Vocational Technical Center. The board also had to include educators from the fields of health occupations education and trade and industrial education as well as members of her family. The foundation set an initial fundraising goal of $10,000 to begin a scholarship and planned to invest the funds to sustain an annual award of at least $500 to a health occupation student or educator seeking further education. The foundation raised money by soliciting donations from friends and colleagues of Mason, holding raffles at various health care related conferences, and from donations given by organizations such as the Virginia Health Occupations Education Association. Scholarship criteria and applications were distributed to schools with health occupation programs and high school guidance departments. In 1985 the foundation awarded its first scholarship. After 1987 the foundation awarded two or more scholarships each year in amounts ranging from $500 to $1,000.

In 2011 a board member raised concerns about the future of the foundation. The foundation had successfully maintained the scholarship fund for nearly 30 years and between 1985 and 2012 made 79 awards totaling $43,800. However, the core members were aging and it was becoming more difficult to secure outside donations for the fund. The board decided to explore alternative arrangements for the scholarship funds. The foundation approached Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) about their willingness to become the new home of the Mason Scholarship and ultimately selected VCU. On May 5, 2012 the foundation's board voted to dissolve the organization and transferred the remaining funds to the Medical College of Virginia Foundation as an endowed scholarship for nursing students. The Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship is now awarded to students enrolled in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing.

Mildred A. Mason

Mildred Alfy Mason was born in Oxford, North Carolina on May 21, 1925. She was raised in her family's home in Clarksville, Virginia where she attended public school. In 1943 she entered Johnston-Willis School of Nursing in Richmond and enrolled in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps, a federal government program designed to accelerate and expand the number of trained nurses during World War II. After graduation from Johnston-Willis, Mason worked as a private duty nurse in Richmond, then took a post graduate course in obstetrical nursing at Margaret Hague Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In 1947, Mason began the defining work of her career when she became an instructor in the Norfolk Public Schools and at the Leigh Memorial Hospital School of Practical Nursing. In 1960, she became supervisor of health occupations for the Norfolk Public Schools when a second cooperative program was opened with Norfolk General Hospital. In that role she led the development of nurse aide instruction, health occupations classes at a Norfolk high school and a third practical nursing program at the Norfolk Technical Vocational Center (NTVC). She also designed evening class offerings for LPNs and refresher courses for RNs returning to practice. When the three practical nursing programs merged to create the Central School of Practical Nursing at the NTVC she assisted in obtaining accreditation from the National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Services for the school.

Throughout these years, Mason continued her education receiving a B.S. degree in nursing education from Duke University, a master's in Education from the University of Virginia, and her doctoral degree in Education from Virginia Tech. An active member of Virginia Nurses Association and the Virginia League for Nursing, Mason served as Chair of the National League for Nursing Council on Practical Nursing Programs. She authored the first textbook on medical surgical nursing for practical nursing students in 1959 which continued through six editions with the collaboration of various co-authors until 1996. Mason became associate professor of trade, industrial and health occupations education at Old Dominion University, a position she held until her untimely death on April 25, 1983.

Mason's family and friends established a scholarship fund in her memory to recognize her commitment to nursing and vocational education. In 2000 the Virginia Nurses Association honored Mason posthumously by naming her a Virginia Pioneer Nurse. She was also inducted into the Virginia Nursing Hall of Fame in 2013.

Scope and Contents

This collection includes the records for the foundation from its inception in 1983 to its dissolution in 2012 and the transfer of the remaining endowment funds to the Medical College of Virginia Foundation in 2013. Materials include the articles of incorporation, bylaws, board meeting minutes, financial records, correspondence, promotional materials, a brief history of the foundation, the records pertaining to the dissolution and transfer of funds, and other related materials. The board of directors meeting minutes provide insight into the structure of the foundation, the evolving criteria and selection process, the types of recipients selected, and how they worked to cultivate and maintain donors and invest their funds. The minutes also provide updates on how the scholarship students' progress. There is only a small amount of correspondence comprised mostly of thank you notes from the award recipients expressing their gratitude, especially since the money would allieviate some of the financial burden and allow them to focus on their studies.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title and the items within the folders are arranged chronologically where applicable.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Mason, Mildred Alfy
  • Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation
  • Mildred A. Mason Memorial Scholarship Foundation

Container List

Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:1
Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws
1983, 1987, 1990English.
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:2
Awards' dinner - invitation and program
1985
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:3
Board of Directors Minutes
1983-2012
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:4
Correspondence
1984-1985, 1995, 1998, 2011English.
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:5
Financial ledgers
2 Items
1983-2012
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:6
Foundation history and scholarship recipient list
1985-2011
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:7
Internal Revenue Service - copies of filings and forms
1985-2012
Newsletters
1985, 1989, 1991
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:8
Photograph of Mildred A. Mason
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:9
Promotional materials and application
Scope and Content

Includes informational pamphlets about the scholarship, newsletters, Mason's curriculum vita, and the first application.

Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:10
State Corporation Commission - correspondence and payment records
1984-2011
Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:11
Transfer to Medical College of Virginia Foundation
2012-2013