Whitson-Hester School of Nursing graduate helped sisters Ann Hellman and Lisa Russell say goodbye to their father during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. As a thank you to this graduate, and to help future generations of nursing students, Hellman and Russell established the Bethel R. Norrod Memorial Scholarship in memory of their father.
Hellman, an associate professor in the Whitson-Hester School of Nursing, and Russell, assistant director of advancement services in University Advancement, both graduated from Tennessee Tech and say that as Cookeville natives, the University has always been a part of their lives.
“I get my greatest enjoyment from working closely with students,” said Hellman. “Encouraging them to see nursing from a holistic viewpoint, seeing them explore patient population groups, and watching them grow in confidence from scared new nursing students to new nursing professionals is greatly rewarding for me.”
“My current position in Advancement doesn’t allow me the opportunity to deal directly with students,” said Russell. “However, I feel my unit is very instrumental in making life better for TTU students. We work diligently securing gifts, stewarding our donors, and promoting alumni relations. We see lives changed because of the work we do.”
Hellman’s and Russell’s father, Bethel Norrod, spent the last week and a half of his life at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, and many great nurses cared for him. But one nurse, Tennessee Tech graduate J.C. Palfreyman, stood out above the rest.
“J.C. Palfreyman went beyond the normal assignment of his duties to provide excellent physical and emotional care for my dad,” said Russell. “He saw him for the man he was: a husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle–not just a dying patient. He treated him with respect.”
Hellman and Russell say they established the scholarship to honor their father and his love for learning. They hope to give students a helping hand and allow them to ultimately help others, just as their father did and just as Palfreyman did for him.
“My dad only had an eighth grade education, having to drop out of school to help support his large family,” said Russell. “However, he was an avid reader and loved learning. I have so many memories of walking into his house, and he’s sitting there with a book in his hand and a dictionary right beside him, in order to look up the words that he didn’t know.”
Hellman added, “Daddy was a man who believed in hard work. Although he came from a very poor upbringing, he also strongly believed that you always gave to others and helped others as the need presented. I can only imagine, had his circumstances been different and education been more accessible to him, how his life might have been different.”
The Bethel R. Norrod Memorial Scholarship is awarded to nontraditional upper division nursing students from Overton County.
“We want all of the recipients of Dad’s scholarship to know the work they do makes all the difference in their patients’ lives,” said Russell. “We want them to realize the importance of paying it forward and to realize that all gifts, regardless of size, make a difference.”