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.