Betty Chesley's mother, Rose Hull, lived her final five months in a nursing home. She had become blind, and Betty sent away for records and books on tape even though her mother preferred to make do with what was available. "She was determined! She'd say, 'I listen to the radio," Betty recalls.
Betty helped bring fullness to the long hours now lived by a woman whose days had once been filled with raising a family, attending church services and enjoying needlework. Her mother's death in 1984 left Betty wondering what more could be done to enrich the lives of nursing home residents—onetime neighbors, volunteers and professionals who had shaped the very communities they could no longer enjoy. Betty looked deeply into the elder care system, beyond individual facilities to the source of the industry's work force and leadership.
She turned to MSU. Betty still keeps a close eye on the University and its progress, and she enjoys contact with students through the Rose M. Hull Endowment, providing scholarships for students in gerontology, another need she identified and met. In 2001-2002 Betty also joined the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Advisory Board.
Betty trusts that the students on the receiving end of her family's generosity will gain much and give back in turn.
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Department of Gerontology Studies