Dorothy Zug Taylor

Dorothy Zug Taylor

Dorothy Zug Taylor was known to be a thoughtful and caring listener and counselor. Her long-standing ties to St. Luke's University Health Network date back to her time as a 1957 graduate of St. Luke's School of Nursing. "Dotty," as she was known to her friends and family, passed away in July 2023, following a lifetime of accomplishment and service to her community.

Dotty's love of St. Luke's and nursing motivated her to arrange for a bequest to establish the Dorothy Zug Taylor St. Luke's School of Nursing Scholarship Endowment Fund. The endowment will be used to provide scholarships to nursing students with demonstrated financial need and an interest in entering a nursing career in acute care or behavioral health. Preference will be given to first-generation, post-high school students who intend to work at St. Luke's following graduation.

Back in 2007, Dotty created a "Pay It Forward" endowed scholarship fund to support and advance the education of students and faculty members at St. Luke's School of Nursing. The most recent endowment continues her long-standing commitment to providing educational opportunities for aspiring nurses.

"St. Luke's and the School of Nursing deeply appreciate this latest example of Dotty's commitment to the nursing profession. As a proud graduate of St. Luke's School of Nursing, she has supported the school for decades. Through this most recent endowment, Dotty has ensured that countless students will be able to pursue a nursing education that would otherwise been out of their reach. Additionally, a nursing excellence award to recognize practicing registered nurses will be named in her honor," says Carol Kuplen, former President, St. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem and Chief Nursing Officer.

According to her daughter, Dr. Kathryn Zug, her mother "always viewed her nursing school education as a door to growth and opportunity. Her generous gift for the scholarship program reflects her strong desire to promote that opportunity. She was very proud of being a nurse and her time working in public health and she was a strong believer in passing on the opportunity for education to others, viewing education as a critical pillar one could lean on for life."

"My mom lived a full and abundant life helping others," adds Marty Zug. "She applied the skills learned and the attitudes she developed in nursing school throughout her life: attention to detail, data collection and use, listening, triage, critical thinking, continuing education, community welfare and belief in progress, innovation and science. Her nursing education helped instill those beliefs. Her world of understanding expanded with her nursing education, including understanding the role of government and community in health care and the health of people—the belief that care should be for all people, regardless of circumstances. Her gift brings all of this full circle."

Following her graduation from nursing school at St. Luke's, Dotty would go on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a nurse in Philadelphia before settling in Bethlehem and raising three children: Dr. Kathy Zug, Marty Zug and the late Charles Zug IV.