Leslie Main awarded Fay Burkett scholarship

Published or Revised September 22, 2005

Leslie Main of Paris has been awarded the Fay Burkett Nursing Scholarship at Paris Junior College. Main is the first recipient of the new scholarship, which honors Ms. Burkett, a Bonham native and lifelong nurse who died in 2004. The scholarship provides a $250 stipend to the student. Ms. Burkett graduated from Bonham High School in 1932 and earned her nursing certificate in 1938. She was a Registered Nurse and Surgical Nurse during a career that lasted 51 years. Ms. Main is a first-year vocational nursing student and said she was honored to receive the $500 scholarship. "It means a lot to me, especially the fact that it came from a lady who was obviously so dedicated to nursing," she said. A non-traditional student, Ms. Main was involved in social work for the Texas Department of Human Resources for 27 years. She graduated from PJC in 1973 and received a degree in home economics and nutrition from the University of Texas in Austin in 1975. Ms. Main said her mother, Laura Main, was a nurse for almost 50 years, and she always admired her for the career she followed. "I decided that at this time in my life I want to be a registered nurse, and now I am working toward that end," Main said.