Graniteville, S.C. – The Henry Pickens Cato Revocable Trust has recently donated $350,000 to the Aiken Technical College Foundation to establish endowments for student nursing scholarships and nursing lab equipment.
From the donation, $250,000 will be used to establish the Henry P. Cato and Lisa Jones Cato Endowed Scholarship Fund for Nursing.
The remaining $100,000 will go toward a nursing lab equipment endowment for the new Nursing Education Center, scheduled to begin construction in 2025.
The donation fulfills the late Henry Cato’s desire to give back to the community he loved in a way that would impact generations to come, said his family and friends, according to a press release from Aiken Tech.
“We are grateful to the Cato family for supporting our nursing program,” said Aiken Tech President Forest Mahan. “Well-trained nurses are critical to our healthcare industry and its ability to meet our community’s health and wellness needs.”
The Henry P. Cato and Lisa Jones Cato Endowed Scholarship Fund for Nursing will provide scholarships for nursing students with a 3.0 grade point average or higher. The scholarships will be awarded based on merit and financial need.
“Thanks to this new endowment, we can help ensure our top nursing students can complete their studies by lessening the financial concerns they may face,” Mahan said.
Students will be able to apply for the Henry P. Cato and Lisa Jones Cato Endowed Scholarship Fund for Nursing scholarships during the ATC Foundation’s annual scholarship application process held Jan. 1 through March 1 of year.
Equipment purchased from the nursing lab equipment endowment will help create a state-of-the-art learning environment, allowing students to gain experience using the same tools and resources they will see in the workforce, Mahan said.
“The Nursing Education Center will become the new home of our School of Nursing, where we will educate and prepare nurses to meet our community’s health and wellness needs,” Mahan said. “We look forward to dedicating a computer in Mr. Cato’s memory.”
Henry Cato, who passed away in August 2022, was an avid equestrian, having grown up riding horses with his father and siblings on the Cato family farm in Charlotte. Later in his life, Cato managed the family farm and hosted charity polo events there.
In Aiken, Henry and Lisa built an 82-acre equestrian facility called the C II Polo farm.
A longtime member of the U.S. Polo Association, Henry Cato was president of the Charlotte Polo Club, vice president of the Metro Polo Club, and served on the Aiken Polo Club board. He was also a real estate investor and often played tennis at the Aiken Tennis Club.
