PENDLETON — Umatilla and Morrow county residents who are studying nursing are eligible to apply for a scholarship in the memory of Mary Boley Wallan, a longtime nurse who practiced most of her career in Pendleton.

The family of Dr. Keith Harcourt, who built a successful surgery career in Pendleton from 1969 until his retirement in 1995, recently established the Mary Wallan Nursing Scholarship. The endowment fund will provide scholarships for current or enrolled students in an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s of science in nursing program.

Matt Harcourt, one of the late doctor’s sons, along with his siblings, Brian and Joyce, and mother, Pat, discussed the possibility of creating a scholarship fund. Matt said his mother, who had been married to Harcourt for 62 years at the time of his death in June 2019, suggested honoring Wallan, who died Dec. 21, 2020.

“My mother said that from her perspective that as a nurse Mary was very important to my father. And being a nurse was very important to Mary,” Matt Harcourt said. “They would both be pleased to know that a scholarship in Mary’s memory would help someone who wants to be a nurse.”

Wallan was working as a nurse for Dr. Edward Morgan at the Pendleton Surgery Center when Harcourt joined the practice. Over time, Matt Harcourt said, Wallan became more than just a colleague of his father’s.

“She was just very important to his practice,” he said. “Mary was the proverbial ‘right-hand man.’ After she retired, they stayed in touch and they maintained a friendship.”

According to a Dec. 14, 1984, East Oregonian article, Wallan, who practiced as a nurse for 45 years, graduated in 1942 from St. Anthony Hospital’s School of Nursing. She volunteered for the Army Nurse Corps, serving in England and France until her discharge in 1946. She then worked at the Walla Walla VA hospital until 1947 when she returned to Pendleton.

While in training to be a nurse, Betty Byer first met Wallan in 1950 at St. Anthony Hospital. The two, Byer said, then worked together over the years.

Byer described Wallan as a “fantastic nurse” who enjoyed taking care of people. In addition, Byer said her former colleague was easy to work with and was dependable.

“Mary was compassionate with everyone,” Byer said. “She liked everyone and everyone liked her.”

Matt Harcourt said she hopes others will make donations to the endowment fund to help students who are pursuing a career in nursing. He said while there’s a personal connection with the scholarship fund, there’s a bigger purpose. The global pandemic, Harcourt said, has highlighted the importance of having qualified nurses.

“It’s a nice thing to remember Mary but there’s also a shortage of caregivers,” he said about the scholarship endowment fund. “We also encourage people to consider giving to the cause.”

The scholarship application is available via the St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at www.sahpendleton.org/en/about-us/community-benefit/scholarships.html. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, June 15.

For questions about the scholarship or to make a donation to the endowment fund, contact Emily Smith at 541-278-2627 or emilysmith@chiwest.com.