WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) paid tribute to one of the nursing program’s quiet, yet ardent, supporters Friday, Oct. 6, when they dedicated the new nursing simulation lab in honor of the late Kennoth Gammill.
Named the Gammill Nursing Simulation Lab, this state-of-the-art facility will use the latest technology and equipment to help the university’s nursing students develop the skills they need to care for patients in a variety of healthcare settings. It was made possible with a significant gift from the Gammill family, coupled with state and federal dollars.
“Today, we are here to dedicate a critically important learning laboratory for Missouri State University-West Plains students, specifically those in our Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program. But we’re also here to recognize the profound influence of a man we miss very much, Mr. Kennoth Gammill, who passed away just over a year ago. Although he’s not here to share in this moment, believe me, the evidence of a life well-lived is all around us now,” MSU-WP Chancellor Dennis Lancaster said to approximately 150 faculty, staff, students and community members who attended the dedication.
More about Kennoth Gammill
Gammill was a local entrepreneur and inventor who revolutionized the quilting world in 1980 when he founded Gammill Quilting Co. in West Plains and invented the first long-armed quilting machine. Today, the company is the world’s leading manufacturer of professional hand- and computer-guided, long-arm quilting systems, and it remains headquartered in West Plains.
In 2011, Gammill received MSU-WP’s first honorary degree, which recognizes extraordinary individuals who have given a substantial part of their lives to serving others and/or who have distinguished themselves. Lancaster pointed out Gammill was known throughout the West Plains community for volunteer work and his quiet philanthropic efforts. The Gammill Family Foundation he established has provided dozens of scholarships to the ASN program over the years. Since 2005, 235 nursing students have received one of these scholarships.
“Consider, if one of our nursing graduates who received a Gammill Family Scholarship and then became a registered nurse attends to eight patients a day, works four days a week for 48 weeks a year, and then works 20 years in healthcare, they would have served 30,720 patients, people like you, me, our parents, our kids, our grandkids, and our friends and colleagues,” Lancaster pointed out.
“So consider, with 235 students receiving the Gammill Family Foundation Scholarship over the course of the past nearly 20 years, that’s 7,219,200 people that Ken, Peggy, Joan and their family have affected because of their great generosity and love for this community. That’s truly amazing!,” Lancaster added.
Gammill’s many years of support for the university led the MSU Foundation to honor him in 2022 with the Sterling Medallion, one of the highest levels of recognition within the Founder’s Club at Missouri State University, Lancaster said, and it’s why MSU-WP officials named the simulation lab in his honor, as well.
A nursing student’s perspective
Second-year nursing student Amanda Harvey, Mtn. Home, Arkansas, told those attending the dedication the lab will set MSU-WP’s nursing program apart from others in the region.
“Most professions require hands-on experience for the individual to gain the skills and confidence they need to perform their jobs well,” she explained. “The nursing student needs the opportunity to try, learn, fail and try again in a safe place. We need the chance to experience complex nursing problems and apply what we’ve learned in lecture before we are put to the test with real patients.
“The Gammill Nursing Simulation Lab allows for just this sort of learning. It is invaluable not just to the nursing students, but the community, as well. The addition of this amazing simulation lab will give me and others so many opportunities to grow. I can’t help but smile and feel such joy to have this technology available,” she said.
Reaction from the Gammills
Gammill’s son, Stacy, who attended the dedication, said he and his brother, Kendall, were very impressed with the lab and the honor bestowed upon their father.
“Nurses played such a huge, beneficial role in our family with our mother and her illness. Our father knew how important it is to keep a steady supply of nurses entering the job force. Nurses at some point will impact every person, every family. They play such a vital role in this community in particular. We’re confident the nursing students will benefit greatly from this state-of-the-art training facility that’s unrivaled in our region,” he said.
Importance of support
MSU President Clif Smart said additions such as the Gammill Nursing Simulation Lab cannot happen without support at various levels, including federal, state, county, university and individuals in the community. He recognized former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, 33rd District State Sen. Karla Eslinger, who attended the event, 154th District State Rep. David Evans, and officials from Howell County, both MSU campuses in Springfield and West Plains, and private supporters, such as the Gammills, for their efforts in providing the funding for state-of-the-art facilities for students.
“All of these facilities mean better teaching, better learning, more students served and more lives and the lives of their families changed,” he said.
Lancaster thanked the many individuals involved in the project, including project manager Adam Shuler at MSU in Springfield; contractor John Adams and team from Adams Construction in West Plains; Tim Guillot with Esterly, Schneider and Associates architect firm; numerous MSU-WP faculty, staff and administrators involved in the project; and the Gammill family for their continuous and unwavering support for MSU-WP.
“This lab is a vital tool for the success of our students and simply a part of what we at Missouri State-West Plains do to meet our mission to serve our region,” he said.
