Katha and Clifton Black Endowed Scholarship for BSN Program

Burl Clifton (B.C.) met Katha Stroud at a Billy Graham revival in 1952. In just five minutes, B.C. knew the brunette with the fetching smile was “the girl he wanted to marry.” In 1954, the high school sweethearts married. B.C. started his own electric company, and Katha went on to graduate from Houston’s Lilly Jolly School of Nursing. Three sons followed: Mike, Pat, and Tim.

The pair balanced each other well. Eventually, Katha became a full-time nurse for Pasadena ISD, while master electrician B.C. added rancher and real estate/stock investor to his resume. Katha cared for everyone around her — from communicating in a special language with the family pets to whipping up lasagna for her hungry clan and any friends sidling up to the table. The only time she didn’t put others first was during her do-not-disturb power nap. B.C. was “hard-working and self-made,” he enjoyed mentoring others. Although the couple enjoyed getting away from it all at their lake house, they also showed up for anyone who needed help. In February 2017, while hospitalized with cancer, Katha nursed for the last time, examining B.C.’s sore wrist. Hours later, just weeks shy of their 63rd anniversary, she passed away.

In 2018, B.C. found the best way to honor his beloved wife. At his granddaughter’s dance show, he wiped away tears as several high school seniors announced they planned to become nurses. “That totally inspired my dad,” his son Mike said. “It takes a special kind of person to be a nurse and be a good one like our mother was.”

In the end, San Jac was a fitting place for B.C.’s gift: Mike and Pat had attended the College, and San Jac had also produced strong nursing graduates since the 1960s. Before his passing in 2020, B.C. started to create the scholarship endowment. Today, his gift represents one of the largest private donations in San Jac’s history. The endowment, which began awarding scholarships in fall 2022, will help working registered nurses who are pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to advance their careers.