Last week, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $2 million commitment from Rhonda M. Dick and Joseph Kennedy “Ken” Dick to establish the Dr. Rhonda and Ken Dick Endowed Scholarship in the UAMS College of Medicine. This pledge is made through their revocable trust.
“We are profoundly grateful to Dr. Rhonda and Ken Dick for their generosity and dedication to young Arkansans, especially those from rural areas, who aspire to become physicians and continue their legacy of service in our state,” said Susan S. Smyth, UAMS College of Medicine dean.
The scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in the College of Medicine who is a resident of Arkansas, with preference given to a student from or living in a rural area who demonstrates a financial need.
The Dicks created the scholarship in part to honor the memory of Dr. Herd Stone, in appreciation of his mentorship and compassionate care of the people of Monroe County.
The inspiration for the scholarship’s creation came from Rhonda Dick’s initial experience working in health care. She grew up in Holly Grove, and at age 17, began working in Stone’s medical clinic, curious if it would inspire her to pursue a career in nursing.
“After working for Dr. Stone for about six months, he called me into his office to discuss my career plans. He encouraged me to go to medical school. It was something I had never considered,” she said. “I had not been exposed to many potential career opportunities in our small, isolated rural community and there weren’t many women practicing medicine at that time. So it had never occurred to me as a possibility.”
Stone would continue his mentorship of Dick while she attended Hendrix College and later UAMS, graduating as part of the College of Medicine Class of 1981.
“Dr. Stone taught me some valuable lessons that I carried with me through medical school later in my medical practice,” Dick said. “He often took me on house calls in the evenings to some of the most rural parts of Monroe County to provide medical care to disadvantaged people who were unable to make the trip to his clinic. Although I didn’t realize this until many years later, he did this for a reason. He wanted me to understand the challenges that many of my future patients might be facing. Those lessons served me well throughout my career.”
Inspired by Stone’s work as a general practitioner, the couple hope that the scholarship will allow a student to consider a profession in primary care.
The scholarship also honors the memory of Ferrill and Betty Martin, the parents of Rhonda Dick, and George Theodore Jr. and Charlotte Kennedy Dick, the parents of Ken Dick.
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