Hospital auxiliary presents nursing scholarships

HONESDALE — Honesdale High School senior Sarah Bunnell has planned to be a nurse for a long time, and this month she received tuition help from a fund established in memory of another nurse—Alice E. Keen. Members of the Wayne Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Keen’s daughter Grace E. Keen presented Bunnell with a $1000 Alice E. Keen scholarship. “I’ve known since 8th grade that I wanted to be a nurse, to help others,” said Bunnell. The daughter of Ronald and Pamela Bunnell will be attending Penn State University. “For the past year I’ve worked as a nurse’s aide for Wayne Memorial and really know I want to be a nurse.” The presentation brought back fond memories for Grace Keen of her mother, a very dedicated nurse who worked at the first Wayne Memorial Hospital in an old house on Court Street in Honesdale. “She was a nurse for 50 years, and she often worked 24 hour shifts,” said Keen. “My sister and I used to visit her in the nurses’ quarters behind the hospital when we came home from school.” Keen’s father was Judson Keen; she and her sister Edna set up the scholarship to honor their mother in 1985. The Wayne Memorial Hospital Auxiliary helps determine the recipients of the Alice E. Keen Memorial Scholarship, as well as those who qualify for several other nursing scholarships. This year, three students received Victoria T. Robinson Memorial Scholarships in the amount of $1,800 each. Katherine Fowler of Milford, daughter of Russell & Patricia Fowler, will attend Bloomsburg University after graduating from Delaware Valley High School. Also from Delaware Valley, Patricia Grieco, daughter of Benny & Virginia Grieco of Dingmans Ferry, will start her nursing studies at Pace University. Wallenpaupack’s Stephanie Glatz begins Northampton Community College in the fall. From Greentown, her parents are James and Kim Glatz. The recipient of the $6,400 Ernest and Margaret Lemnitzer Scholarship will be announced next week.