Caring for others inspires $250,000 nursing scholarship endowment
The Black Hawk College Foundation announced the creation of a $250,000 endowment for the James Cobin Class of 1976 Endowed Scholarship for full-time nursing students at Black Hawk College.
The endowment was created in memory of James Cobin, who graduated from Black Hawk College’s nursing program in 1976 then worked as a nurse at Moline Lutheran Hospital. Cobin passed away in 2017. His husband, Stanley Anderberg, who graduated from Black Hawk College and Western Illinois University, created the endowment in his memory.
Black Hawk College President, Dr. Jeremy Thomas; Foundation Board Treasurer, David Emerick; Foundation Executive Director, Zenaida Landeros; Dr. Wendy Hilton-Morrow, niece of Stanley Anderberg, along with his sister Bona Hilton, and Dr. Jay Morrow, husband of Hilton-Morrow.
During college, Anderberg met Cobin while on a trip to Germany. Cobin, a native of New York state, was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. After college, Anderberg worked for Deere Harvester Works in East Moline. During the farm implement crisis of the 1980s, Anderberg lost his factory job and returned to college to earn a degree in respiratory therapy. Eventually, Cobin joined Anderberg in the Quad Cities and enrolled at Black Hawk College.
As a male in the nursing field, Cobin was a pioneer at a time when fewer than 3% of nurses were male. He served as the president of his nursing class and was known for his passion for nursing and his compassion for others. Cobin’s niece, Dr. Wendy Hilton-Morrow, described him as someone who saw nursing not as a profession, but as a calling. “Black Hawk College was important to both of them,” Dr. Hilton-Morrow said.
The James Cobin Class of 1976 Endowed Scholarship will benefit Black Hawk College nursing students for years to come. Anderberg’s decision to create the endowment reflects his and Cobin’s shared love for Black Hawk College and their dedication to helping others. Both Anderberg and Cobin had careers in health care, with Anderberg working as a respiratory therapist and Cobin as a nurse. They moved to Florida in 1986 and also worked together at the Bay Pines VA Hospital in St. Petersburg.
“Thanks to the heartwarming and generous gift from Stanley Anderberg, we are able to support BHC programs and transform BHC students’ lives,” said Zenaida Landeros, executive director of the Black Hawk College Foundation.
Dr. Wendy Hilton-Morrow with her uncles, Stanley Anderberg and James Cobin
Stanley Anderberg and James Cobin’s story is one of love, dedication and generosity. The scholarship created in Cobin’s memory will continue their legacy of caring for others and supporting the importance of education.
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