Giving back is a practice deeply rooted in Charles B. “Chuck” Chitty’s family. In 1990, an anonymous member of the Chitty family founded the Mary Seymour Kittrell Scholarship to support undergraduate nursing students. Other members of the Chitty family have given passionately to the scholarship for over three decades. This past spring, Chuck Chitty continued his family’s philanthropic legacy as he bequeathed a generous gift to the Mary Seymour Kittrell Scholarship.

Mr. Chitty grew up in a home where nursing and generosity were celebrated. “My mother, Kay Kittrell Chitty, is the former Dean at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Nursing and is a well-respected nursing educator and scholar. I learned the importance of nurses in the healthcare system at an early age,” says Chitty. Over the years, he watched his mother and extended family take their advocacy for nursing a step further with monetary donations. As a businessman living in Chattanooga, Chitty is proud to honor his mother by giving to his family’s scholarship.

“Nurses are on the front lines every day with regard to community health and wellbeing. They have the difficult job of delicately balancing the human emotional side and the clinical side of healthcare for their patients and families. I am pleased to support the future nursing workforce by supporting nursing students,” shares Chitty. 

Along with relieving the financial burden for BSN students, Chitty hopes that the recipients of the Mary Seymour Kittrell Scholarship will one day have the chance and be inspired to participate in the virtuous cycle of giving themselves.

For more information on how you can support the College of Nursing, contact Monica Cromer, Senior Director of Development.