TCNJ

34 WINTER 2017 PETER MURPHY THE ROOTS OF GIVING RUN DEEP in the Gater family tree. And it was those roots that motivated the family's matriarch to endow the Kathryn Gater Nursing Scholarship for the School of Nursing, Health, and Exercise Science. Inspired by doctors on her mother's side of the family, Kathryn Gater trained to be a nurse during World War II and received her certification from Mercer County Hospital in 1945. She worked in public health, private duty, and school nursing. "I always wanted to help people," she says. "It's what I try to do." at spirit of service also surfaces in the hats she knits for the needy, the roses she delivers to nursing homes, and the time she gives as a school volunteer. "My mom has always been a giving person," says Jim Gater '71, MEd '80. "We learned from our parents that giving back to the community was what a good citizen did." But with her gift to TCNJ, Kathryn followed the example set by her son. e only one of Kathryn's children to go to college, Jim took advantage of a $500 scholarship to attend TCNJ. "If the state hadn't provided that, he wouldn't have been able to go to college and have the success he later had," Kathryn says. Over the years, Jim has been loyal to his alma mater. He has served as president of the Alumni Association and now chairs the TCNJ Foundation. In 2011, he and his wife, Kathleen, established the Newton B. Collinson Scholarship (named for Kathleen's father) for students in the School of Education. "When my wife and I created our scholarship, it really resonated with my mom," says Jim. "It was something she wanted to do, too." e recent sale of her house allowed Kathryn to achieve that goal. She gave funds to each of her children — Jim, Judy Cook, Glenn Gater, and Jeffrey Gater — to start the scholarship in her name, making it truly a family affair. e family hopes the scholarship will help non-traditional nursing students to stay the course and graduate. "I believe investing in someone's education is really helping on many levels," says Kathryn. "I wanted to give back to the institution that gave the knowledge to my sister Janet Davison '41, my son, and grandson David Gater '98 to become successful adults and excel in their chosen fields," she says. "It's nice that I got to see this happen." —Kara Pothier MAT '08 Family affair Two generations of the Gater family make exemplary educations a reality. e Campaign for TCNJ News, WINTER 2017 NEWS Learn more and get involved campaign.tcnj.edu

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