By Adrian Melissinos
Beta Beta Houston is pleased to announce the inaugural presentation of the Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones Research Grant. The award was presented during the Spring 2017 Induction Ceremony on April 28 by Dr. Sandy Cesario, Research Committee Chair, to Dr. Nina Fredland and Dr. Nora Montalvo-Liendo for their proposal titled, Promoting Health Relationships: An Arts-Based Intervention for Middle School Youth. Their research uses a theatre intervention to encourage middle school students to engage in dialogue about bullying and violence.
Both Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones have significant connections to nursing and TWU. Mr. Jones was the Director General of Medical Relief for the Red Cross during World War I which was responsible for outfitting mobile hospital units sent overseas. Numerous philanthropic donations from him have supported nursing student scholarships in multiple institutions. Also, buildings on both the Denton and Houston campuses have been named after Mary Gibbs Jones. Mrs. Jones became the second person to be granted an honorary doctorate from TWU. The room in which this first Research Grant was announced was supported by Houston Endowment, the philanthropic foundation established by Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones. The Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones Research Grant will be awarded each spring.
These annual research awards are announced each year during the Spring New Member Induction Ceremony and they are funded for amounts of up to $1,500. All applicants must be active members of Beta Beta - Houston Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International. The purpose of these awards is to facilitate independent or team nursing scholarly activities.