Local dentist honors late wife with $50,000 gift to Midlands Technical College
August 17, 2015
“My wife said, ‘Don’t forget me.’ With an endowed scholarship like this, she cannot be forgotten. This will help people indefinitely in the program.” Dr. Arthur C. Coogler
COLUMBIA, SC – This week, Midlands Technical College received $50,000 to establish the Patricia Mogel Coogler Dental Sciences Endowed Scholarship. The gift was one of the top-five one-time gifts ever received from an individual in the college’s history.
“My wife said, ‘Don’t forget me,’” recalled Coogler. “With an endowed scholarship like this, she cannot be forgotten. This will help people indefinitely in the program.”
The donation was given by Dr. Arthur C. Coogler in memory of his late wife, Patricia Mogel Coogler. The gift will be used to support the educational goals of students in the college’s dental hygiene and dental assisting programs. Patricia’s birthday would have been today – (Sunday, August 16.)
“I wanted her memory to be preserved,” said Coogler. “She spent so many years mentoring both dental assistants and dental officers, and being a friend to dental officers in the army, and mentoring younger ones as well.”
Dr. Ronald L. Rhames, MTC president; Dr. Arthur C. Coogler, Jr.; Shawn Huntley, daughter of Dr. Coogler; and Barbara Blau, MTC Foundation Board, Advancement Committee Chair
Patricia (Pat) Coogler was a Certified Dental Assistant for more than 40 years, and provided dental treatment to thousands of people from all branches of the military. She retired from Civil Service at Fort Jackson, SC, with 26 years of service with numerous awards and citations for professionalism and expertise. She passed away four months ago.
The Cooglers had a connection with the Midlands Technical College dental training program, with Patricia spending years mentoring both dental assistants and officers in the army. “(The scholarship) just seemed like a perfect fit to me,” said Coogler. “We’re a dental family, and an army family, but MTC is right here, and I can’t think of anything more worthy than trying to help young dental assisting students and dental hygiene students.”
Beginning March 2016, the Patricia Mogel Coogler Dental Sciences Endowed Scholarships will be awarded annually to qualified, current MTC students based on the recommendation of a committee of Allied Dental Education Program faculty and staff.
“It’s clear Pat Coogler was a person of optimism and hope,” said MTC president, Dr. Ronald L. Rhames. “And that’s what this scholarship does – it creates optimism and hope for our students. We are really thankful for this generous gift. “
About Midlands Technical College
Midlands Technical College (MTC) is a comprehensive, multi-campus, public, two-year college serving Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties of South Carolina. The fifth-largest provider of higher education in South Carolina and the largest provider of transfer students to four-year colleges and universities in the state, MTC enrolls approximately 18,000 credit students annually. The college’s Corporate and Continuing Education program, one of the largest and most comprehensive in the Southeast, annually has 30,000 enrollments and provides continuing education to hundreds of area businesses each year. MIDLANDSTECH.EDU
