The Madge Ashton Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by the family of Madge Ashton. Madge was born on June 2, 1919 in Elizabeth, Indiana to John Edgar and Zelma Cline Ashton. One of five children, four sisters and a brother, she died on September 17, 2010 in Hazard, Kentucky.
Madge was brought up in the Elizabeth Methodist Church and graduated from Elizabeth High School. At Hanover College Madge majored in physical education, participating and excelling in numerous sports. She was a member of Phi Mu Sorority, Rho Chapter.
Miss Ashton enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Specialists Corps in 1943 and was trained in physical therapy. Her assigned deployments, for further study and practice, included: Walter Reed Hospital, Washington D.C.; Fort Lawson, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; Veteran’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky; Warm Springs, Georgia and Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Her other deployments were: Percy Jones in Battle Creek, Michigan; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Sam Houston, Houston, Texas; and Heidelberg, Germany. Her post graduate studies were completed at the University of Texas School of Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1947 in Galveston, Texas.
After serving 13 years, Major Madge Ashton left the military and went to Harlan, Kentucky as a physical therapist when Miners Memorial Hospital first opened in 1956. The hospital later became Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital, from which she retired after 28 years of exemplary service.
For nearly 60 years, the dedicated Physical Therapist Madge Ashton kept up her membership in the American Association of Physiotherapists. She was noted for her outstanding medical skills and her efficiency as a Physical Therapy practitioner and department head.
Madge’s snow white hair made her recognizable in the community where she frequently and openly spoke her opinions on civic and national issues. She was an avid fan of all sports, a collector of coins and stamps, and addicted to crossword puzzles. Madge loved automobiles and on sight could recognize all makes and models. She devoured news magazines and newspaper articles, and enjoyed reading books on political figures.
The family of Madge Ashton hopes this scholarship will encourage students to pursue a career in physical therapy. The primary purpose of the fund is to provide educational scholarships to graduating seniors of South Central High School who have applied and been accepted as students at an accredited public or private institution of higher learning. Priority is given to students planning to obtain a degree in Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy Assistance, Sports Medicine, or Nursing. By establishing this scholarship endowment fund, the Ashton Family believes they have chosen a fitting way to honor one of World War II’s “Greatest Generation” and a beloved member of their family.