Goodlark Foundation creates new scholarships to honor Jackson, Deason

The Goodlark Educational Foundation has created two new scholarships in honor of Dr. Bill Jackson and Anne Deason, who both passed away in 2011. Executive Director Vanessa Smyth announced the creation of the Dr. Bill and Emily Jackson Medical Scholarship for a student attending medical school and the Anne Deason Healthcare Scholarship for any student studying in the healthcare, health services or health management fields. The scholarships are open to students in Dickson, Hickman or Humphreys counties. Founded in 1988, the Goodlark Educational Foundation annually awards up to $100,000 in scholarships based primarily on students’ financial needs. Scholarships are available for college, technical school and graduate school students of all ages. The Jackson Medical Scholarship will award up to $10,000 a year while the Deason scholarship will go up to $5,000 a year and is available to college juniors, seniors and graduate students. Jackson was the son of the late Dr. Jimmy Jackson, one of three brothers who founded Goodlark Hospital in 1958. Deason was the first employee of the Jackson Clinic when it opened above a storefront on Main Street in 1941 and worked at Goodlark until its sale to HCA in 1995. She served on the board of the educational foundation since its creation. More information and applications for the scholarships are available online at www.goodlark.com or by contacting Smyth at 446-9156. The deadline for the Goodlark and Deason scholarship applications is March 31 while the deadline for the Jackson scholarship is May 31. This past year the Goodlark Educational Foundation passed the $5 million mark in scholarships and grants to schools and other educational programs.