Katherine Wilson’s legacy lives on at the School of Nursing

Growing up in Morganton, NC, Katherine Wilson was adventurous and independent with an unstoppable spirit. Like her older brothers J.D. and Fletcher, she was a talented soccer player, joining boys’ teams along the way when there were no offerings for girls.  

“By the time she got to high school, she’d harassed them enough that they started a girls’ team, and she was on the first one,” remembered her mother, Anne Wilson.  

With a tendency to live in the moment, Katherine’s spontaneous nature — a semester off from Carolina to work in Folly Beach, an impromptu summer waiting tables in Jackson Hole — sometimes made her parents uneasy.  

“She didn’t like to be told no. Ironically, if there was something that her father and I thought was not the best idea, she’d tell us, ‘You know, this is not the dress rehearsal,’” said Anne. “And she was right.”  

Katherine, who graduated from the UNC School of Nursing in 2004, died a few months later in 2005 after a five-year battle with small cell lung cancer, a disease that is extremely rare in young nonsmokers like Katherine. She was only 28. 

“Small cell lung cancer patients typically live 12 to 18 months, and Katherine lived almost five years, staying in school, continuing to do fun things with her friends, and finding a way to do her coursework and clinicals.” 

Though Katherine’s illness would prevent her from practicing her dream profession, 43 nurses have now become Carolina nurses through a scholarship that bears her name. Because of the Katherine Wilson Scholarship, they carry her legacy of hard work and perseverance, and her devotion to serving others, into their own careers.  

Following the wishes of Katherine and her family, the merit-based scholarship is awarded to students who exemplify high academic achievement, a desire to pursue a nursing career in end-of-life issues or oncology, and have overcome a significant obstacle in their lives.  

Today, the Katherine Wilson Scholarship has grown to $767,000 and awards $25,000 annually. Katherine would have turned 50 this year, and the Wilsons are amazed that what started as a crowd-sourced collection of gifts from friends and family has grown to create an impact that would have made Katherine proud. 

“We’re thrilled that we can help other students get their education without having to take on as much work outside of school, and to know that they’ve been inspired by our child,” said Anne. “It’s wonderful to still have that connection,” said Anne. 

Honoring Katherine 

Katherine was in her second semester of nursing school in the spring of 2000 when she developed a dry cough. During a clinical class, the students were using stethoscopes to listen to their own chests and learn about the lungs. Katherine heard something that she knew was unusual. She had others listen, and by that afternoon, she was being seen by a pulmonology team at UNC Campus Health. 

“They told her she might have pneumonia or sarcoidosis, or worst case, lung cancer,” said Amanda Womble Greer, BSN ’01, one of Katherine’s roommates at Carolina and part of her tight-knit group of nursing-school friends. “But we didn’t really think that could happen. She was only 23 years old.” 

A round of steroids helped, but the spot on Katherine’s lung didn’t go away. Amanda and her friends waited at the hospital while Katherine underwent a biopsy that would confirm a cancer diagnosis. They crowded together on the lobby floor to support their friend, a kind of support they would give throughout Katherine’s surgeries and reoccurrences. 

Katherine persevered through school but needed breaks for treatment. Though the group graduated ahead of her, they stayed close. 

“For five years, she did her best to live a long life. She was a free spirit in a lot of ways, and even before she got sick, she really knew how to enjoy life,” Amanda said. “She kept going through nursing school, and I think it gave her focus.” 

Amanda was living in Asheville in 2005 when Katherine got much sicker. Her then-fiancé, David Greer, was flipping through one of Amanda’s Carolina Nursing alumni publications when he read a story about a scholarship. He told Amanda: We should start a scholarship in her honor. 

David soon after contacted Norma Hawthorne, the School’s then-Director of Advancement. He remembers their initial conversation as both very kind and a little hesitant.  

“We were very confident in our idea, but we didn’t really know what it would take to start a scholarship. Norma gave us some numbers, and we said we’d come back.” 

With a $100,000 goal, they quickly raised $10,000 from individuals in Katherine’s life, with gifts ranging from $500 to $1,000. It was a testament to the wide network of treasured friendships she’d built during her adventures, from Morganton and Montreat, to Carolina and beyond. The School was soon on board — this could be done. 

“However a good idea gets brought to the table, a measure of whether it is a good idea is how people adopt it, and how it brings them into action,” said David, who would go on to lead fundraising for Carolina’s Morehead-Cain Foundation. “Katherine was beloved, and people were looking for a way to channel their love for her.” 

The Greers drove from Asheville to Chapel Hill to tell Katherine in person. 

“We were able to tell Katherine late in her life about what we were working on, and she said, ‘So wait, my name is going to live on forever?’” said David. 

And though she was near the end of her life, Katherine was able to add her own vision to the scholarship — to help people like herself, so that they could help others. 

“Katherine told them that the one thing she wanted was for the scholarship to go to a student who has had difficulty in their lives,” Anne said. “She died in February 2005, and the first scholarship was awarded that summer to Michelle Landin, a student who had overcome leukemia as a child.” 

Scholarship recipient Lauren Larison, BSN ’22, now a Simulation Program Coordinator for Education Innovation Simulation Learning Environment (EISLE) at the School, chose to study nursing at Carolina for its challenging program and its support for first-generation, nontraditional students like her. Faculty encouraged Lauren to apply for the Katherine Wilson Scholarship, which would prove to provide much more than financial assistance — it deeply connected Lauren to Katherine’s mission and her family, who encouraged her to apply for the Oncology Nursing Fellowship program in 2021. 

When, later that year, Lauren lost a close friend in a tragic accident, the Wilsons reached out in support. They’ve stayed in touch, and the impact of Katherine and her family on Lauren continues to grow. 

“Getting this scholarship already meant so much to me, because of the impact of Katherine’s life and her legacy. I never could have imagined how much more it would mean to me as that year and my career evolved, to be connected to her amazing family and have this personal inspiration and motivation to be a nurse,” she said. 

A lasting legacy 

Katherine would have turned 50 this year on November 3. And though two decades have passed since her courageous battle, she lives on in tangible ways, not only through the memories of those she loved and the scholarship that has advanced many nursing careers, but also the difference she made in cancer care. 

After graduation, Katherine was invited into Sigma Theta Tau, an International Honor Society of Nursing, and she was involved in the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s efforts to secure funds for its new N.C. Cancer Hospital, which would replace the Gravely Building where Katherine was first diagnosed. When legislation designated those funds in August 2004, Katherine was standing behind then-Governor Mike Easley as he signed the bill.  

Carolina’s new Nursing Education Building will also carry her name. A close friend of Katherine’s from both her hometown and Carolina is providing matching funds of $200,000 to name a space in honor of Katherine in the hopes of encouraging others to remember Katherine and lend their support to the building campaign in her memory. The room or space ultimately named for Katherine will serve as a lasting tribute to a truly extraordinary individual and her love for and dedication to Carolina and the profession of nursing. 

The Wilsons keep up with the scholars, cherishing their thoughtful thank you letters. They meet them for dinners, give them hugs at School events and stay in touch about their lives and careers. 

For the Wilson family — Anne, husband John, and Fletcher and J.D. — this lasting connection to the School “means everything,” said Anne, who was awarded Carolina Nursing’s Honorary Alumni Award in 2007 and has served on the School’s Board of Visitors. 

It means everything for the Katherine Wilson scholars, too. 

“Receiving this scholarship means more than you can know, not just because the money will help me tremendously, but because it gave me pause to think that my journey is being seen and appreciated,” Jacob McClinton, ABSN ’27, wrote to the Wilsons. “I hope to leave a legacy like Katherine’s, having helped so many people so much.” 

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