Dr. Ross Galvin Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The Dr. Ross Galvin Memorial endowment was created to enhance the nursing program at Centralia College. Dr. Ross Galvin grew up in Centralia and worked on the family farm in Little Rock during the summers. He attended Centralia High School and graduated from Centralia College in 1938. He completed his pre-med studies at the University of Washington and transferred to the University of Louisville in Kentucky to finish his medical degree. During his medical studies, the US entered World War II. In order to stay in school, Dr. Galvin was made a private first class. He returned to the Pacific Northwest to do his internship at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. However, his plans were interrupted when he went into the army as a first lieutenant, serving as a medical officer in Indianapolis, where he helped injured soldiers returning from the war. After being discharged, Dr. Galvin and his wife (Patricia) moved to Oak Harbor, where he opened his first practice. When his partner retired, he came to Centralia in 1946 “temporarily” but ended up staying for more than 35 years. He was a doctor in Centralia for 35 years.