Jim Nelson has, for decades now, contributed to the Fred C. and Grace E.
Nelson Scholarship at Northwest Missouri State University to honor his
parents' legacy and assist students with fulfilling their dreams of earning
a college degree.
Nelson, a 1968 graduate of Northwest, and his brothers set up the
scholarship in 1989 to honor their parents, Fred, a 1925 graduate, and
Grace, a 1926 graduate, and Northwest awarded the first scholarship for the
1990-91 academic year. In addition to giving annually to supplement the
scholarship award, Nelson recently added a bequest to his will to help
build the scholarship endowment.
"They had the greatest influence on our lives," Nelson, the youngest of
seven children - six boys and one girl - born to Fred and Grace, said.
"They were educated people, and they taught us to be respectful of others,
to apply ourselves and live by the golden rule. They were faithful people.
We have a lot to thank them for because they came from conservative roots.
They told us to save our money and make informed decisions."
The scholarship, which is awarded annually to a junior or senior biology
major with an emphasis in pre-med or pre-dentistry who carries a minimum of
a 3.00 grade-point average, also is a tribute to Jim. He enjoyed a 28-year
career as an endodontist built on a foundation laid by his parents and the
education he received at Northwest.
"Dentistry has been good to me so I would like to encourage other people to
go into dentistry or medicine," he said. "We weren't rich by any means, and
money is sometimes a problem when it comes to school, so I'd like to help
out and lessen the financial burden."
Nelson's education on the Northwest campus began while he was a child
attending Horace Mann Laboratory School. He enjoyed a variety of activities
other kids like him didn't have at their rural schools, including swimming
lessons at the Martindale Hall pool and Spanish lessons.
"It was a great, great education because we lived out in the country when
you still had one-room schoolhouses," Nelson said. "My mother wanted us to
get an education with all the other extracurriculars that you can have, not
only the sports aspect."
It was an eighth-grade project at Horace Mann that helped Nelson decide he
wanted to become a dentist. Nelson and his classmates were tasked with
researching vocations that appealed to them, interviewing someone in the
profession and then writing a report about what they learned. Nelson
considered a conservation agent, doctor and dentist for his project.
"Everybody in the class had to do that and then you reported to everybody,
so you got to hear the variety of occupations," Nelson said. "There are so
many people these days that get out of high school and they don't know what
they want to do. So I really am thankful for that opportunity at Horace
Mann."
That spring, Horace Mann High School closed and Nelson attended Maryville
High School rather than graduating from high school on the Northwest campus
as his four oldest brothers had done.
When the time came for him to attend college, Nelson chose Northwest
because it was inexpensive, and the location afforded him the convenience
of living at home. At that time, science courses were still in the
Administration Building, and a semester of tuition was a mere $250 with the
benefit of Northwest's long-standing textbook rental program. Living at
home and attending Northwest became even more convenient for Nelson when,
after his sophomore year at Northwest, his family moved from their farm
outside Maryville to a house across from the campus on Fourth Street.
Knowing he wanted to become a dentist and several more years of schooling
were ahead of him, Nelson pursued a bachelor's degree in chemistry.
Nelson says the rigor of his Northwest education prepared him well for
dental school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned
his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1972. The skills he developed at
Northwest also allowed him the opportunity to work at the University of
Kansas Medical Center while he pursued his dental degree.
"I learned how to study and how to budget my time," he said. "Going to any
college, it gives you more confidence and self-esteem. When I had a really
tough schedule in dental school, I could apply myself in those harder
courses. I made good grades in dental school, but it took some of the
stress off by going to Northwest, having a good education background
there."
Nelson entered the U.S. Air Force and spent the next eight years fulfilling
a commitment that took him to air force bases in California, Alaska, Texas
and Illinois. He gained additional experience practicing general dentistry
and found his niche as a root canal specialist. Having attained the rank of
major, Nelson eventually completed his education by earning a master's
degree in endodontics at the University of Texas in 1978.
In 1980, Nelson and his family settled in Waterloo, Iowa. Nelson, who
retired in 2008, was one of just five endodontists in the state when he
began practicing and the first in northeast Iowa.
"My education and experiences at Northwest gave me an excellent background
and confidence to further pursue my career goals and personal life
endeavors," he said. "I want to give back to Northwest so others can have a
similar experience and realize that anything is attainable if you apply
yourself and keep a steady course going ahead."
Now 71, Nelson has taken up farming, tending about 750 acres of land in
Melrose, Iowa, that features a mix of prairie grass, wildflowers, soybeans
and corn. Nelson also is an avid hunter and an active member of his church.
He and his wife, Joyce, whom he met while working a summer research
internship at Iowa State University between his junior and senior years at
Northwest, raised four sons.
For more information or to make a gift to support the Fred C. and Grace E.
Nelson Scholarship or Northwest, contact the Office of University
Advancement at 660.562.1248 or visit
www.nwmissouri.edu/GiveOnline.
