On the cusp of Marilyn Melcher’s 100th birthday in October 2024, the faculty and staff at the School of Nursing and Health Studies celebrated her and her family’s longtime support of nursing students through the Helen Blond Scholarship Fund for Nursing at UMKC.

The endowed scholarship is a tribute to Melcher’s mother, Helen Blond, with seven students benefiting from it in the 2024-2025 academic year. Established over 40 years ago, it is the oldest scholarship at the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

That day celebrating Melcher, the halls of the UMKC Health Sciences Building were lined with faculty, staff and students cheering and applauding as they welcomed Melcher and her family to the school for the first time. She also met with some of the scholarship recipients during the visit.

According to Randy Clark, a longtime family friend and financial advisor who accompanied Melcher that day, it was incredibly meaningful for her.

“It was one of the most special days of her life,” Clark said. “It was so meaningful to meet the nursing student recipients, hearing their stories and the impact the scholarships had on their lives.”

Clark said that Melcher was honored to continue her mother’s legacy of supporting nursing education through the scholarship. Neither Blond nor Melcher have a direct connection with the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies. In Blond’s later years, nurses were an important part of her care because she was dependent on them. She was also particularly fond of her nurses, and the family thinks that was the driving factor in the scholarship’s creation.

For Clark, Marilyn and her daughter, Lynn Melcher, the scholarship has always carried great meaning, but the rest of the Melcher family outside of Kansas City were largely unaware of it. The festivities for Melcher’s 100th birthday brought the scholarship to the forefront among the extended family as well. Although Marilyn Melcher passed away in August of 2025, Clark said bringing her family’s attention to Blond’s legacy was incredibly meaningful to her at such an important time.

“It’s so gratifying that this scholarship may be an inspiration to others,” Clark said. “Whether it’s fellow donors or current and prospective nursing students, Blond’s legacy will live on.”