SIU Med School Students Earn Scholarships

Twenty-five students at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine have been awarded scholarships over the past few weeks.

Three fourth-year students received the Alumni Scholarship: Kyle McCullough, son of Michael and Gayle McCullough of Decatur; Jacquelyne Mool, daughter of Ken Mool of Panola and Kim Scott of Peoria; and Jasmine Moreno, daughter of Efren and Martha Moreno of Chicago. The Alumni Scholarship was established by the charter Class of 1976 as a gift in honor of its 25th reunion. The Class of 1977 followed the lead of its predecessor by supporting the fund with reunion gifts. Since then, alumni from all classes contribute to the scholarship annually, increasing the availability of funds.

First-year student Mason Tippy, son of Dave and Kay Tippy of Pomona, has received the Dr. Eli and Claire Borkon Scholarship. The Borkon Scholarship is awarded annually to an SIU medical student from southern Illinois. Borkon worked as an adjunct professor of physiology at SIU for more than 20 years before he was hired as assistant dean at the medical school in Carbondale.

Fourth-year student Erica Bohmer, spouse of Nicholas Bohmer and daughter of Mike and Sandy Wood of Granite City, has received the Kate Burkhart Medical Scholarship Endowment. The Burkhart Scholarship was established in 2003 by Kate Burkhart Daniel, a 1938 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

First-year student Andrew Partain, son of Thomas and Donna Partain of Iuka, has received the God at the Speed of Light Scholarship. The God at the Speed of Light Scholarship was established in 2004 by Dr. Thomas Lee Baumann of Birmingham, Ala., who is an SIU graduate from the Class of 1976. Baumann is a writer and author of “God at the Speed of Light, The Melding of Science and Spirituality,” a book about faith and science.

First-year medical student David Forgas, spouse of Stephanie Forgas and son of Tim Forgas and Mary Cutler of Springfield, has received the Kurt Heisler, MD, Scholarship. The Kurt Heisler Medical Student Scholarship Fund was the first scholarship established at the School of Medicine, and since its inception in 1976, the endowment has annually awarded more than $93,000 in scholarship funds to 88 medical students. Heisler was a family medicine physician who practiced in southern Illinois until he retired in 1976.

First-year student Catherine Richards, daughter of Robert Richards III of Hannibal, Mo., and Rosanne Bonebrake of Quincy, has received the Virginia J. Hertweck Memorial Endowment Scholarship. The Hertweck Scholarship, established in 2001 by Virginia’s husband, Wolfgang Hertweck, is given annually to an SIU medical student planning to enter the primary care field and who is from Schuyler, Cass or Brown counties or other rural areas.

First-year student Joshua Brandon, son of Michael and Mary Ann Brandon of Carrier Mills, has received the William E. and Delores Hull Health Professions Scholarship. The Hull Scholarship was established in 1998 by the couple’s daughter, Sharon Hull, MD, of Durham, N.C, a graduate of the Class of 1987 and former faculty member of SIU School of Medicine. William Hull’s life was devoted to education for more than 40 years.

First-year student Kaitlin Gibson, daughter of David and Loretta Gibson of Bloomington, has received the Landecker Memorial Award from the Dr. Hildegard C. Landecker Memorial Endowment Fund at SIU School of Medicine. Gibson is the 34th recipient of the award, which is given annually to a freshman female medical student with high academic standing. The Landecker fund was established in 1982 by the late Manfred Landecker, PhD, who was on the political science faculty at SIU Carbondale, in memory of his mother, who was a pediatrician.

Nine fourth-year students have received the SIU School of Medicine Scholarship: Austin Beason, son of Larry and Tracy Beason of Mattoon; Mitchell Binkley of Marion, spouse of Paige Binkley of Polo and son of Tod and Linda Binkley of Forreston; Ashley Byrd, spouse of Philip Byrd Jr. and daughter of Mike and Glenda Jameson of Granite City; Markesha Jones, daughter of Marvin and Shirley Jones of Jackson, Miss.; BreeAnna Murphy, spouse of Mitch Murphy and daughter of Bill and Teena Groves of Springfield; Sean Murray, son of John Murray of Round Lake and Kelly Murray of Lake Villa; Max Nutt, son of Mike and Andrea Nutt of Springfield; Jordan Orr, daughter of Bill and Sherri Orr of Reddick; and Daniel Summers, son of William and Linda Summers of Nashville. The School of Medicine Scholarship is given annually to third- or fourth-year medical students who have shown academic success and/or performed service to the School of Medicine.

Binkley and fourth-year student Kristin Terry, daughter of Walter Terry of Marissa and Linda Beierman of Belleville, received the Southern Illinois Medical Association (SIMA) Scholarship. The SIMA scholarships are awarded annually to two fourth-year medical students from the southern Illinois area who plan to practice in primary care medicine.

First-year student Peter Wade, son of Tom Wade and Nancy Wade, both of Winchester, has received the J.S. Templeton, MD, Memorial Scholarship. The Templeton Scholarship was established in 1993 by Harriss Malan of Carbondale and Jane Templeton Minton of DuQuoin, in memory of their uncle and father, Dr. James Scott Templeton. Templeton was a general practitioner who served the Pinckneyville area for more than 60 years. He also was a founder of Pinckneyville Community Hospital.

Third-year medical students Dom Antonacci, son of Jeff and Angela Antonacci of Springfield, and Blake O’Connor, son of Don and Melinda O’Connor of Springfield, received the Kathryn Terry Scholarship. The Kathryn Terry Scholarship was established in 1994 with funds from her estate. Terry was a long-time patient of the late Dr. Emmett Pearson, professor emeritus of medical humanities at SIU.

First-year student Shelby Markel, daughter of Paul and Shelle Markel of Bunker Hill, has received the Dr. Margaret Wilson Scholarship. The Wilson Scholarship was established in 2016 by Dr. Margaret Wilson, a retired pediatrician whose husband, Dr. Charles Wilson, is a retired professor in the SIU School of Medicine Department of Urology. The scholarship is awarded to a female medical student.

First-year student Gary Hendricks, son of Kelly and Mary Hendricks of Mason, has received the Gerald M. and Neva Woodall Scholarship. The Woodall Scholarship was established in 2004 by the couple’s estate. Gerald Woodall wanted to become a physician, but was unable to study medicine due to financial hardships. 

Gifts received by the Southern Illinois University Foundation support the growth of the School of Medicine. Individuals interested in making a donation can contact the SIU Foundation office at 217-545-2955 weekdays or online at www.siumed.edu/foundation.