MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Generous bequest creates scholarship covering tuition for some medical students

Receiving an inaugural Lester and Viola Pottle Foundation Scholarship gave second-year medical student Terri Savory more than just a financial award.

It gave her something truly priceless.

"It has awarded me the most precious gift of all: time," said Ms. Savory, who is a nurse enrolled in Memorial's MD program. "Now I no longer need to work every weekend and most evenings. I have time to focus on my studies, time to spend with family and friends, time with my precious dogs, time to pursue research opportunities and time to take care of my mental and physical health. This scholarship will impact my life tremendously."

Created from a generous bequest to the Faculty of Medicine, the scholarship provides funding to cover up to the full medical school tuition annually for a number of students at Memorial University and will be awarded annually to first-year Newfoundland and Labrador learners enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine Undergraduate Degree Program.

It is renewable for up to three years.

Lester and Viola Pottle

Viola (Sellars) Pottle grew up in Otterbury, N.L.

Her husband, Lester, was from the nearby community of Flatrock in Conception Bay North.

The pair met at school at the age of 12 and married 10 years later in 1952.

"Lester's father was very strict," said Catherine Barrett, senior development officer for planned giving, Memorial University. "Viola told me they were only allowed to go out on Friday or Saturday nights, never on a school night."

Education was very important to the family.

Mr. Pottle's father lost a leg working on a ship and later went to Memorial College to get his teaching certificate.

"Lester originally wanted to be a physician, but as one of 11 children, there was no money to send him to school," said Ms. Barrett. "That's why the couple chose to support the Faculty of Medicine, to ensure others had that opportunity."

Creating a trust fund

Mr. Pottle decided to become a Mountie instead, but sent a job application to the Royal Bank at the same time.

The bank got back to him first.

Over the years, he made his way up through the ranks at RBC and was a CEO when he retired at the age of 55. His career took the couple around the world.

He worked in many countries, including France, England and Australia.

After he retired, they travelled for pleasure, taking almost 30 cruises together.

"Even when he retired, he wasn't content to sit at home in Salmon Cove," said Ms. Barrett. "He was very active in his community and, after his death in 2010, he was honoured by the Salmon Cove Development Community for his contributions."

Arrangements were made prior to Ms. Pottle's passing in 2021 to ensure their estate would create a trust fund from which annual disbursements would be given to Memorial for scholarships.

While this is the first year the scholarships are being given, they are also being awarded retroactively to students from the previous two years, for a total of 20 in 2025.

A gift to the province

Second-year medical student Megan Wiseman says it's difficult to describe the far-reaching impact of the Pottles' generous gift, not just to her and her classmates, but to the province as a whole.

She says the Pottle Scholarship will provide crucial financial support as she pursues travel electives in the coming years.

As a medical student who hopes to match into a residency program not offered at Memorial, she says it is "vital" that she completes electives in the specialty to increase her chances of matching.

"That will require me to spend months in large cities with high costs of living, like Toronto and Vancouver. This financial barrier can often prevent Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from pursuing such specialties, leading to hard-to-fill physician vacancies in our province. As such, I truly consider the Pottle Scholarship to be a gift not just to me but also to the province."

Addressing systematic challenges

Dr. Dolores McKeen, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, says the Pottles' generous gift has the power to not only change individual lives, like those of Ms. Savory and Ms. Wiseman, but to address systemic challenges in health care.

"This scholarship supports academic excellence and increases opportunities for learners from historically under-represented communities, helping us build a more inclusive and equitable health-care system," said Dr. McKeen. "Without the scholarships I received as a student at Memorial University, I would not be where I am today a practising physician and the dean of medicine."

If you are interested in making a lifetime or legacy gift to the Faculty of Medicine, contact the Development Office at meddevelopment@mun.ca or (709) 864-6372.

One hundred percent of every donation goes to the area of the donor's choosing.