Judith Hornor Savage Memorial Scholarship Will Benefit D&E Nursing Student The Angel Fund

Judith Hornor Savage Memorial Scholarship Will Benefit D&E Nursing Student

When Judith “Judy” Hornor spent summers in Elkins, West Virginia, visiting her grandparents, she had no idea how the legacy of her life would return to the place that played such an important part of her childhood.

Judy’s family history is intertwined with Elkins in a number of ways. Her grandfather, William Keim, was one of the founders of Citizens National Bank (now Citizens Bank of West Virginia). Her great-uncle, Noah Keim, was an educator and tutor of the Elkins children. Her mother, Eleanor, is a graduate of Davis & Elkins College from the class of 1919, and her father, Thomas Hornor, was a teacher in the Elkins School District.

The Keim and Hornor family legacy will continue with the creation of the Judith Hornor Savage Memorial Scholarship that has been established by her husband, David J. Savage. David and Judy returned to Elkins regularly over the years and participated in several Augusta programs with David serving as photographer for the summer sessions.

While Judy and David’s ties to the Elkins community and Davis & Elkins College specifically are significant, it is Judy’s dedication to nursing and helping people, particularly children, that is at the heart of the scholarship.

Judy’s career in health care began as an EMT/Paramedic in Cincinnati and that led her to enroll in a nursing program, taking one class at a time while she raised their children. Once she completed the courses and became a nurse, she worked as a floor nurse in the hospital and then as a home health nurse.

One story in particular illustrates Judy’s compassion. While working with a Spanish-speaking family, Judy shared with the mother that she understood her desire to care for her baby. Judy then delicately asked the mother about her ability to read. The mother cried and said no, stating how ashamed she

Judy and David with their children, from left, Susan, Jack and Tom and his daughter, Claire. felt to tell the medical staff. Judy held her hands, smiled, and kindly stated, “Now we can better assist you in caring for your baby.” She proceeded to create a color-coded system for administering medications that included drawings of how much to give and analog clocks detailing times to give the medications.

The ability to meet people “where they are” was one of Judy’s many traits that always made a positive impact on others.

Judy’s calling extended beyond the U.S. border and she was granted a leave of absence from the hospital in order to provide health care for children in Africa. Once there, she recognized a need in the community and established a malnutrition ward at the University Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia.

Judy and Peter, a child from the Kasisi Children’s Home in Zambia.

As she cared for critically ill children in Cincinnati, Judy realized there was a need for a hospice program for children and their families to provide them with the unique support they need during this devastating time. She and a friend put together a program at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati and Judy served as a hospice nurse until her retirement. It would not be possible to count the hundreds of lives she impacted during her years of service in health care, but Judy will never be forgotten by those she helped.

Judy Savage tends to the medical needs of a child at the Kasisi Orphanage in Zambia.

To honor Judy’s commitment to nursing and her patients, this scholarship will provide full tuition, room and board for a nursing student for four years. What a wonderful way to honor a woman whose life is an inspiration to those who endeavor to selflessly dedicate their lives to helping others. The recipient will be selected from the incoming class in fall 2022.

The Angel Fund

Students are the first priority at Davis & Elkins College. The Angel Fund has been created to provide financial support for students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardship and who have exhausted all other resources in order to meet their tuition obligations. YOU can be an Angel by making a one-time or monthly recurring gift in support of The Angel Fund. To make a gift online, please go to www.dewv.edu/giveonline or send a check payable to Davis & Elkins College Angel Fund and mail to: Davis & Elkins College, Institutional Advancement, 100 Campus Drive, Elkins, WV 26241.