Mary Ellen Allen Scholarship

“Mary graduated from Melvin-Sibley High School in 1966. She received a Bachelor Degree in 1990 and a Masters Degree in 1994 from the University of Illinois. Mary was a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and the first Nurse Practitioner in Ford County. Mary always wanted to be a Nurse Practioner, but at the time, the program was not available in the area. So when the program became available on the Champaign campus, she applied and was accepted immediately. Also, as a Nurse Practitioner, she helped with the education of those in the nursing profession. She was the Preceptor for over 50 students from the University of Illinois and Illinois State University. In 2014, she was awarded the Preceptor of the Year from the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing. Mary retired in 2021. That year Gibson City Hospital awarded her The Sunderland Society Award in recognition of meritorious service. Prior to this, this award had only been awarded to Physicians. She first worked at Gibson City hospital at age 16 as a nurse's aid and was associated with the hospital for 50 years. She worked at the Gibson Clinic with Dr. David Hagan for the final 27 years of her career.”