A bequest of $200,000 has been provided to 1889 Foundation from the estate of Robert Flora to endow a nursing scholarship fund. The Margaret B. (Mayes) Flora Nursing Scholarship Fund will provide a scholarship to a senior at the Conemaugh School of Nursing who is a graduate of the Greater Johnstown High School.
“Robert wanted to show his love and respect for his mother and the years she led the pediatric department,” said Bobbi Shaffer, Robert Flora’s partner of 25 years. “He wanted to extend her legacy and her love of nursing, and he thought the best way to do this was to set up a scholarship fund in her name.”
In addition to being a Greater Johnstown High School graduate who is a senior at the Conemaugh School of Nursing, scholarship recipients must:
- Be a resident of the Conemaugh Health System service area for at least the last five years.
- Have a financial need as determined by Financial Aid Officer of Conemaugh School of Nursing.
- Have a grade point average of at least a 3.2 and demonstrate an above average performance clinically in the performance of expected nursing competencies based on their level within the curriculum plan of the school.
Robert T. Flora, who passed away in March 2023, established the fund in memory of his late mother, who was a nurse at Conemaugh Memorial Hospital. A Vietnam veteran, Flora was a graduate of Johnstown High School, California University of PA, and IUP. His professional career included working as a teacher at Somerset Junior-Senior High School, and as a psychologist for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
