Ernestine Carter spent her life caring for others. Now, the community and family she shaped have ensured her legacy of compassion will support the education of future nurses through a newly endowed scholarship at Chattanooga State. 

The college announced the Ernestine Carter Endowed Nursing Scholarship during a campus gathering that brought together students, faculty, alumni, and Carter’s family and friends. Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford opened the event, saying Ernestine’s lifelong commitment to caring for others will live on in students who benefit from the scholarship. 

“This scholarship is about legacy,” Dr. Ashford said. “It will enable students to achieve their goals of becoming nurses, which will change the lives of their family members and of the patients they will serve throughout their careers.” 

Ernestine, remembered as a trailblazer in Chattanooga’s healthcare community, inspired generations through her career and her personal example. Dr. Martina Harris, dean of Nursing and Allied Health, said Carter’s values persist in today’s students.  

“Some of the greatest heroes do not do what they do for the recognition,” Dr. Harris said. “Tina was known for her kindness, her resilience, and her commitment to caring for others. This scholarship will strengthen the tradition that helps support our students to carry on the values that she championed.” 

Family friend Cammie Rice, an activist and philanthropist, said Ernestine was most well known for caring for, loving, and mentoring everyone she touched. 

“Every night we would talk on the phone, and she would pray at the end of those calls,” Rice said. “She told me to always, always wake up with a grateful heart. She was ministering to everybody, including the thousands of hospital patients that she took care of.” 

Her grandson, Usher Raymond IV, spoke to her legacy as a pioneer.  

"She was a hero—my personal hero, “ he said. “Our goal in establishing this scholarship is to impact lives forever and inspire the next generation of nurses to live and serve by my grandmother's example.”  

The new endowment established through the Chattanooga State Foundation will support students in one of the state’s top-performing nursing programs. Program Director of Nursing, Lindsey O’Hagan, highlighted the scholarship’s role in expanding access.  

“Your generosity is more than a gift. It is an enduring investment in the future of nursing and in the lives of students who will follow in Ernestine’s footsteps,” she said. “This scholarship will directly support that continued success, opening doors for students who aspire to serve with the same compassion and courage that defined Mrs. Carter's remarkable career.” 

With more than 100 graduates each year, a 99% first-time NCLEX pass rate, and high placement rates, Chattanooga State continues to meet the region’s demand for highly trained nurses. The Ernestine Carter Endowed Nursing Scholarship will help ensure that students with the passion and drive to enter the program can do so without financial barriers, continuing the kind of work Ernestine Carter championed throughout her life. 

As future recipients step into classrooms, clinicals, and careers, they will carry forward the legacy of a woman who changed lives one patient, one moment of kindness, and one act of service at a time.