BCTC Receives Donation from Katie and Greg Keeley of Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company honoring Dixie Webb

Published on Sep 12, 2023

LEXINGTON, KY – Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) received a donation from Katie and Greg Keeley, founders of Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company, in honor of Dixie Webb, Program Coordinator of the associate degree  in nursing program at the Lawrenceburg campus. 

The scholarship was inspired by and named for Dixie Webb, an extraordinary nurse whose life, work and values reflect her commitment to Service before Self:  To her country, as an Officer in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps joining in 1984, to her State, as a nurse in multiple disciplines and settings, to her friends and colleagues, as chief comforter and mentor, and to her community as a nurse educator at three colleges including Bluegrass Community and Technical College.  Dixie graduated in 1967 from the University of Kentucky and has been a practicing nurse for 56 years. During that time, she has taught and encouraged over 1500 nursing students, served 14 years as an Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corps, and co-authored the textbook, “Nursing, from Education to Practice: Rx for Success.”  

“I am in awe of the depth and breadth of experience in nursing that Dixie has achieved. Dedication to a profession for 56 years is impressive and warrants acknowledgement and recognition. Dixie exemplifies our “students’ first” mission,” said Dr. Greg Feeney, Acting President. “Katie and Greg Keeley could not have selected a better person to honor for this endowed scholarship. The legacy that Dixie will leave will have a long-lasting impact on our nursing students,” said Feeney. 

“Greg and I were inspired to create this scholarship by the incredible students in BCTC Lawrenceburg’s nursing program and by their teacher and chief advocate, Dixie Webb. In the classroom, Dixie and I saw too many students carrying extraordinary responsibilities and working against incredible pressure to become nurses, said Katie. “We knew they’d be good nurses, if only they had enough support to complete the program. We believe, as Dixie does, that service to your Nation starts with serving your community, and we are honored to have the opportunity to help students stay the course. In doing so, we are privileged to shine a light on Dixie’s legacy and example and hope that others will feel similarly inspired and join us in investing in our shared future and the wellbeing of our community."  Greg is the Founder and CEO of Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company and a service-disabled Navy Combat Veteran with service in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Pacific. Katie is Co-Founder of Lawrenceburg Bourbon Company, an Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, a nurse at U.K. Hospital, and a colleague of Dixie. 

The first award(s) will be granted in fall 2024, and endowed fund will exist in perpetuity, supporting future nurses for many generations to come.