
Casey County Nursing student receives Toni Pendley Memorial Scholarship to attend SCC
Dustin Wesley, of Casey County, has been named the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 recipient
of the Toni Pendley Memorial Scholarship at Somerset Community College. Wesley is
a 2008 graduate of Casey County High School. He will graduate from the Registered
Nursing program at SCC in May 2017.
The Toni Pendley Memorial Scholarship was set up by members of two Sunday School
classes at First Baptist Church in Somerset. The Encouragers class and the Circle
of Friends class joined together to raise money for the scholarship in Pendley's name.
Pendley passed away in 2015 after dealing with a lengthy illness. Her husband, David
Pendley, serves as church administrator and worship leader at FBC, a position he has
held since 2006.
Toni loved to read and loved to learn new things, said David Pendley of his late
wife. She was always encouraging people to get an education. She simply loved caring
for people. Even when she got sick, she got up every day looking for someone to help.
David Pendley and members of both classes, as well as other friends who contributed
to the scholarship, felt that providing funds for an SCC nursing student was the best
way to honor the memory of Toni Pendley, who was also a nurse.
Toni Pendley received her LPN from the Owensboro/Daviess County Hospital and then
her Registered Nursing degree from Madisonville Community College in 1985, said David
Pendley. She and her husband came to Somerset in 1988 and Toni worked as a surgical
nurse until her health began to decline.
The desire to help others is what set Toni Pendley apart, and that same desire was
also a key factor in Wesleys decision to go back to school.
After graduating from Casey County High School, Wesley went to work on the farm with
his father, he said. However, his father became ill and Wesley couldn't continue farming.
He decided to fulfill a dream and return to school. A career in nursing, he said,
came naturally after watching his mother hold a career in the same field.
I love helping people, Wesley said. If you can make them (your patient) smile just
one time, then its worth it.
Wesley said after he finishes his degree at SCC, he plans to enroll in a bachelors
program and then work for a few years before enrolling in a Certified Registered Nurse
Anesthetists (CRNA) program. Wesley is the son of Kimberly Wesley and the late Lester
Wesley.
To make a donation to the Toni Pendley Memorial Scholarship Fund, contact Cindy Clouse,
SCC director of institutional advancement, at (606) 451-6618.
Above: (Back row, left to right): Somerset Community College Scholarship Coordinator
JR Thompson; David Pendley, husband of the late Toni Pendley and church administrator/worship
leader at First Baptist Church, Somerset; Dustin Wesley, recipient of the Toni Pendley
Memorial Scholarship; Dr. French B. Harmon, senior pastor of First Baptist Church,
Somerset; and Cindy Clouse, director of Institutional Advancement at Somerset Community
College.
(Front row, left to right): Lojuanna Roberts, member of the Encouragers class at
First Baptist Church, Somerset; Nancy Cox, teacher of the Encouragers class at First
Baptist Church, Somerset; and Lula Winchester, Circle of Friends class teacher at
First Baptist Church, Somerset.