Scholarship named in memory of 100-year-old nurse

NEWTON - The Newton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary has renamed its annual scholarship program after the late Ellen White Courtright, who passed away Feb. 20 at the age 100. Courtright was the hospital’s first operating room nurse on the day it opened in July 1932. She also was a past auxilian and a hospital volunteer. Two of the three available scholarships, each with a value of $2,000, are designated for students who wish to pursue a nursing career. The third is available to an individual who wishes to pursue a healthcare-related career. Officials said working in healthcare was very important to Courtright, who knew at a young age that a nursing career was worth pursuing. She was inspired to enter the profession by an aunt of a childhood friend who was a nurse. “I admired her greatly,” she told Newton Memorial Hospital President and CEO Tom Senker in September, a few days before her 100th birthday celebration at the Sussex County Homestead. “She was such a fine woman and I decided to do the same thing,” She also recalled the day Newton Memorial Hospital opened to the public in July 1932. To accommodate hundreds of attendees, the Newton Memorial Hospital Committee arranged a Grand Opening weekend on July 9 and 10, 1932. Courtright, who was only 23- years-old at the time, gave tours of the Operating Rooms. “I showed them how the lights worked, how the beds worked,” she said. “It was quite a thing because although it wasn’t the first hospital in the community, it was the biggest one and the newest one and the most modern.” She remained with Newton Memorial Hospital until the then-mandatory retirement age of 70. At the time, she worked in an administrative role as director of patient care services. The Ellen White Courtright Scholarships are available to high school students attending Sussex County schools or North Warren High School in Warren County. Application packets are available at school guidance counselor offices and are due to the Auxiliary office no later than April 15 and can be downloaded on the hospital’s Web site, www.AllLifeLong.org, under ”News & Events.