Germanna honors Dean Gilkey with scholarship fund

The Germanna Community College Educational Foundation has established a scholarship fund in Mary Blessing Gilkey’s honor.  She passed away in June at age 55 after a long battle with an autoimmune disorder.

Dean Mary Blessing Gilkey

 During Gilkey’s time as dean of nursing and health technologies at Germanna, she oversaw the doubling of the program’s size.

  Dr. Patti Lisk was named to the post in July.

  Germanna celebrated Gilkey’s life during an event Thursday at the college’s Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper.

 During the event, Lee Kirk, President and CEO of Culpeper Regional Health System, said that when Gilkey succeeded Jane Ingalls as dean,  the college already had “an excellent nursing program. She raised it higher.”

 Germanna President David A. Sam called her “a force of nature” who made good things happen. He noted that even during her final days, she was texting friends and colleagues from her hospital bed to ask how they were doing. “She couldn’t stop being a nurse,” Sam said.

Donations to the Mary Gilkey scholarship fund may be made online. They may also be made by mail. Checks should be made out to the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation with “Mary Gilkey” in the memo and sent to GCCEF, Germanna Community College, 2130 Germanna Highway, Locust Grove, Va. 22508.