Dr. Leroy A. Worrell Book Award
Background
Dr. Leroy A. Worrell age 96, of Memphis, Tennessee was born on May 26, 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in Kingston, Jamaica by his mother and grandmother. In 1946, Leroy attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts majoring in Biology with the interest to be a psychiatrist. While attending school, he worked as an orderly in Boston City Hospital and the Holy Ghost Hospital for Incurables in Cambridge. He graduated in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northeastern University. 1949, he went to the University of Illinois graduate school, continuing his education in Biology, while he waited for acceptance into Dental school.
In 1950, at the age of 26, Dr. Worrell left Boston, MA via Greyhound Bus with a one-way ticket to Nashville, TN to attend Dental School at Meharry Medical College. Now in the past you have always been warned “not go down South” due to the treatment of African Americans in this region. Despite the warning from others. Dr. Worrell worked countless hours as a clothes presser just to secure enough money for first year’s tuition which was $655.00. Dr. Worrell traveled to Nashville, TN on that faithful day carrying only his tuition money of $655.00 no less, no more, a wardrobe trunk, an acceptance letter and faith. Dr. Worrell graduated in 1954 with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.). Dr. Worrell pressed clothes while pursuing his studies.
Dr. Worrell went to the U.S. Army Dental Corps serving as a dentist in Korea and Japan for 2 years. He returned to Boston to practice dentistry in his own private practice serving the Roxbury and Dorchester communities. He attended Tufts University to study Prosthodontics Dentistry in Boston, Massachusetts until 1976. While operating his private practice in Boston, he took courses in Endodontics at Harvard University School of Dentistry and Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry. In 1976, Dr. Worrell returned to Jamaica to work 3 years with the Jamaican Government Dental Service in various parts of the island.
Dr. Worrell operated his dental practice from 1980 – 2011 in various areas of Memphis, Tennessee. He worked 6 days a week, never missing a day of work. He loved mentoring his patients and sharing wisdom with anyone in his chair. He worked as a dentist at Northwest Penitentiary and Northeast Penitentiary in TN and in 2011 – 2012. Dr. Worrell worked as a dentist for the Parchmen Penitentiary in Parchmen, MS. Dr. Worrell retired from the practice of dentistry in 2012.
Scholarship Focus
The Dr. Leroy A. Worrell Book Award will be awarded to a college or graduate student of West Indian heritage who demonstrates an interest in entering the medical field.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant must be attending an accredited college or graduate school majoring in medicine.
Applicant must hold a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher, on a 4.0 scale.
Applicant must be accepted to an accredited program in medical industry at an accredited college or graduate program.
Application Requirements
A complete application packet must include the following:
One (1) letter of recommendation written by one of the applicant’s current teachers/professors, guidance counselor, or advisor.
A current transcript.
A 300-word essay responding to the question, “Why are you interested in pursuing medicine and how will you use your education to help people?”
Applications must be submitted by March 1st of each year to be considered.
Applications may also be obtained by emailing Scholarship@westindianfoundation.org