How a Simple Lunch Turned into a Scholarship

When he first visited Connors Steak and Seafood in 2014, Scott Butler was just looking for a decent lunch spot.

Instead, he discovered the foundation for a friendship which has impacted countless lives.

“When I went into Connors, I met the server and she was really nice. As much as you can chat with a server, we had several minutes of conversations,” Butler harked back. Gradually, he became a regular and cordially befriended the waitress from that first day.

“Over that period of months, we sort of became friends inside the restaurant. I’d chat with her for 30 or 45 minutes, she’d tell me stuff about her, and I’d tell her stuff about me, so we’d get to know each other,” said Butler.

One day, she explained that she had some college credit, but ultimately aspired to earn a nursing degree. Over the next couple years, she earned her associate degree and was accepted to Tennessee Wesleyan University’s Fort Sanders Nursing Department.

“Every time I’d see her, she’d tell me how she was doing and keep me up to date about how school was going. I was so impressed by her work ethic, her work attitude, her strive,” Butler said. “Just watching her work the hours that she worked and going to school – I was

just super impressed by everything she was doing.”

Inspired by her dedication, Butler collaborated with the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs to develop an annual scholarship which would cover the cost of nursing school for a year.

“I ended up talking to my financial guy at Edward Jones and my tax lady to make sure that we were all in the same boat – that as long as Tennessee Wesleyan was a 501(c)(3) - then I could create a scholarship and it would knock out two birds with one stone,” Butler explained.

Today, The Scott & Tom Butler Scholarship specifically funds tuition for nursing students who work in the restaurant industry.

“If you’re a server or a bartender, you see everyone on a daily basis from the worst customer to the best customer, and as a nurse, pretty much on a daily basis you’re going to see the worst patient to the best patient,” said Butler. “So, it’s a natural transition of being in the service industry to becoming a nurse. I just thought that was a great parallel and a great way to build the scholarship.”

As for the student who was the catalyst for Butler’s philanthropy, she applied and was selected as the

“ That ’s what I see as the benefit – I ’m allowing people to get their education by eliminating a significant stressor on them.”

inaugural scholarship recipient. Today, the Tennessee Wesleyan alumna is a successful cardiology nurse in Knoxville. The annual scholarship Butler established has since helped two additional students working their way through nursing school.

“I was impressed by what she went through here and how her two years were set up with the classes and all the clinicals she went on,” he explained. “I think it gets them out in the field really nicely, so they learn about all the nursing jobs and what they like and don’t like.”

Personally, Butler finds it gratifying helping students focus more wholly on their education by reducing financial obligations.

“That’s really my intent moving forward is to help whoever gets the scholarship to take that stress away,” Butler shared. “That’s what I see as the benefit – I’m allowing people to get their education by eliminating a significant stressor on them.” Dr. Lisa Vesser, Tennessee Wesleyan’s associate dean of allied health, noted that opportunities like this one are vital to the success of our students.

“Scholarships are crucial for students who cannot afford to pay for college or do not qualify for financial aid,” said Vesser. “The Scott & Tom Butler Scholarship is significant to our nursing program because it allows the recipient to focus on academic success rather than mounting financial debt.”

To learn about how you can make a difference at Tennessee Wesleyan University, contact the Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs at 423-746-5330.