$1 Million Goes to Med School

              $ 1 million goes to med school
A scholarship fund worth more
than $1 million was announced Thurs-day
by the LSU School of Medicine in
Shreveport.
The Nathan Bernstein Scholarship
Fund for medical students was a gift
from the estate of the late Mrs. Max-ine
Bernstein in honor of her husband,
a Shreveport businessman who died in
1971.
Mr. and Mrs. Bernstein were
longtime residents of Shreveport
before his death in 1971 and her death
this year. He was an owner of the
former M. Levy Co. which operated
clothing stores here for many years.
Dr. Allen A. Copping, chancellor of
LSU Medical Center, said the bequest
was the largest private gift ever re-ceived
by the medical school.
It is held in trust by the Com-mercial
National Bank.
Income from the trust will provide
scholarships of about $3,000 each for
about 30 students per year when it
becomes fully operational in 1984,
Chancellor Copping said. The first
scholarships will be awarded for the
1983-84 school year.
Applicants will be selected on the
basis of academic performance,
financial need, and commitment to
medicine, said Dr. Perry G. Rigby,
dean of the medical school. Dr. John
H. Allen, assistant dean for student
affairs, will administer the
scholarship program.
Dean Rigby said the scholarships
are especially significant now, "when
we are looking for reduction in na-tional
funds for student loans."
They will enable deserving students
to give full attention to their studies,
he said, pointing out that there are
many who must work their way
through medical school. Current tui-tion
and fees for instate students are
$2,000 a year, according to Allen.
Chancellor Copping said the School
of Medicine in Shreveport has
"always been fortunate" in the sup-port
of the community.
"This generous gift to support
medical education in Shreveport is an
excellent example of the commit-ment
that Shreveporters have for de-veloping
outstanding physicians
locally."
Present for the announcement of
the Nathan Scholarship Fund were
Stanley Bernstein, a nephew of the
Bernsteins; James E. Burt III, presi-dent
and chief executive officer of
Commercial National Bank; Richard
Sales, senior vice president of the
bank; and Simon Herold, attorney for
the trust.
The man for whom it was named
was born in New Orleans, the son of
European immigrants. Nathan Berns-tein
began his career with the M.
Levy Co. at age 15, as a stock boy, and
rose through the ranks to partnership
with Marx M. Levy. He retired from
the company about 10 years prior to
his death.
He and the former Maxine Spears,
who was born in Junction City, Ark.,
were married in 1946. She died on
May 5 of this year, her will providing
for medical scholarships in his name.
An Elizabeth Harris portrait of
Bernstein will hang in the medical
school.