$2M Gift Creates Scholarship for UAMS College of Medicine

Joseph Kennedy "Ken" Dick, left, and Dr. Rhonda Dick

UAMS announced it has received a $2 million commitment from Dr. Rhonda Dick and Joseph Kennedy “Ken” Dick to establish the Dr. Rhonda and Ken Dick Endowed Scholarship in the UAMS College of Medicine.

The scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in the College of Medicine who is a resident of Arkansas, with preference given to a student from or living in a rural area who demonstrates a financial need.

UAMS said the Dicks created the scholarship in part to honor the memory of Dr. Herd Stone, in appreciation of his mentorship and care of the people of Monroe County. Rhonda Dick grew up in the county and at age 17 began working at Stone’s medical clinic, curious if it would inspire her to pursue a career in nursing. It did, and Stone continued his mentorship of Dick while she attended Hendrix College and later UAMS, graduating from the College of Medicine in 1981.

“Dr. Stone taught me some valuable lessons that I carried with me through medical school later in my medical practice,” Dick said in a news release. 

Dick retired as the medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock in 2019. Ken Dick retired as an assistant director of fiscal services for the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research in 2006.

The scholarship also honors the memory of Ferrill and Betty Martin, the parents of Rhonda Dick, and George Theodore Jr. and Charlotte Kennedy Dick, the parents of Ken Dick.