East Carolina University Health Sciences donors Ed Demaree and Sandy Brotherton celebrated their March wedding not with a gift registry, but with an invitation to give. In lieu of presents, they asked family and friends to donate to university scholarships, a fitting reflection of two people who have spent their lives in service to others. The centerpiece of their appeal is the Demaree-McGinnis Endowed Scholarship at East Carolina University’s College of Nursing, established in memory of Ed’s sister Pam.

A pioneering flight nurse with EastCare air ambulance, Pam was among the program’s founding members in 1986 and was widely remembered as someone who poured herself into mentoring others interested in emergency medicine. She died in the tragic 1987 EastCare crash during one of her missions, alongside chief flight nurse Mike McGinnis. Over the scholarship’s 39-year history, it has supported 19 ECU nursing students with more than $15,000 in aid.

Sandy brings her own philanthropic legacy to the marriage. After more than 30 years as a professor in the physical therapy program at the Medical University of South Carolina, she became acutely aware of the financial pressures facing healthcare students. She and four retiring colleagues established the Come Together Physical Therapy Endowed Scholarship, and donations in the couple’s honor can be directed there as well.

Their message to peers, particularly those entering second marriages or later-in-life celebrations, is straightforward: if you’re already established and don’t need another set of dishes, consider directing that generosity toward the next generation of healthcare professionals. As Sandy put it, it’s a meaningful way to honor loved ones and invest in fields that depend on talented, dedicated people willing to do demanding, often dangerous work.

To give to the Demaree-McGinnis Endowed Scholarship, click here.