A couple committed to creating opportunity for all.
Luther T. Glanton Jr. and Willie Stevenson Glanton were lawyers who dedicated their lives to professional leadership and community service. He was the first black judge in Iowa; she was the first black female assistant county attorney and the first black person from Polk County to serve in the Iowa Legislature.
They shared a devotion to DMU, too. Judge Glanton joined the DMU Board of Trustees in 1979; when he died in 1991, Mrs. Glanton took his place on the board, became its chair in 1999 and continues to serve today.
Celebrating the couple’s passion for helping others succeed is the Honorable Luther T. Glanton Jr. and Willie Stevenson Glanton Scholarship, which makes medical and health sciences education more accessible to minority students at Des Moines University. The annual award recognizes both scholarly achievement and financial need. Many individuals and organizations support the fund as sponsors of the annual Glanton Scholarship Dinner.
“By receiving this gift, I have come to understand that not only do my family and friends support my education, but so do those in our community,” says 2008 Glanton Scholarship recipient Theresa Duarte, D.O.’11. “This gives me the encouragement to strive for all that I can achieve, so that one day I may give back to those who believed in me.”
Why become a Glanton Scholarship sponsor?
Our nation is becoming increasingly diverse. Our citizens’ need for competent, caring health care is growing. Americans must invest in a health care workforce that responds to these realities.
Des Moines University’s Glanton Scholarship is a great way to make that critical investment. Awarded to high-achieving minority students in all DMU programs, the scholarship supports the dreams and goals of individuals who will enhance health care in these important ways:
- By supplying the providers we need to serve our growing and aging populations and expanded access to care. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the nation will face a shortage of 62,900 doctors by 2015.
- By increasing cultural competency in health care. Racial and ethnic minorities continue to suffer from more serious health problems than white individuals due to racism, limited resources and limited access to care.
Opening doors in health careers to more minority individuals counters the provider shortage and reduces racial/ethnic disparities. The Glanton Scholarship has done both for the past decade and will continue to do for years to come. Its powerful impact means better health care and better outcomes for all people.
For more information, contact the development office at 515-271-1387.
