Hunter Morrow’s plan to become a neurologist got a little easier Friday, as the dedicated Davenport North senior won a $20,000 four-year scholarship to help pay for college.
He is the 2026 recipient of the Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually by the Davenport Community School District Scholarship Selection Committee and QC Community Foundation.
The scholarship award will be distributed at $5,000 per year over four years of undergraduate study, and may be used at any accredited college or university. Hunter plans to attend the University of Iowa, where he will major in neuroscience and minor in biology while pursuing a pre-med track.
The scholarship (any graduating Davenport high school senior planning to work in a medical field is eligible) was established in 1965 by the late Dr. Walter Neiswanger in honor of Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley (1927-1961), a physician known for his humanitarian medical work operating clinics in the mountains of Vietnam and Laos.
The scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service to others. Recipients are selected through a rigorous process that considers class rank, ACT scores, Advanced Placement coursework, and an in-person interview with a community selection panel.
This year’s selection committee included Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President of External Relations at Augustana College; Julie Buechel, counselor at Davenport Central High School; Eric Johnson, principal at Davenport North High School; Brian Ehlinger, principal at Davenport Central High School; Diane Campbell, Director of Learning and Results for the Davenport Community School District; Jo Vasquez, counselor at Davenport North High School; Amy Murphy, counselor at Davenport West High School; Dr. Cheryl True of Scott County; and Cory Williams, principal at Davenport West High School.
Hunter has distinguished himself through an exceptional record of academic excellence, leadership, and service. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA and earned Academic All-Conference honors for four consecutive years.
He was the only one of seven nominees (from Davenport’s three main high schools) to complete the dual enrollment with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, also to earn an associate’s degree by the time he graduates this spring.
“But he's the nicest kid you'll ever meet,” North principal Eric Johnson said Friday morning, noting all seven students this year were worthy of the scholarship.
“When you sit in on those interviews and you hear how great all of these kids are, you feel bad for having to tell six other ones no,” he said. Hunter’s academics, 4.0 GPA and all his activities made him stand out, Johnson said. “A 4.0 kid is hard to compete with.”
Hunter (who had been called to the auditorium under the pretense of moving set pieces because of flooding) said he was surprised to win, since he didn’t think his interview went well and he was nervous.
“I thought my interview didn't go the greatest. So I didn't have that big of expectations,” he said. “It means a lot. It means that all the work I put in in high school will help me in my future and this scholarship will help so much in college because, it's a lot.”
DCSD superintendent TJ Schneckloth presented Hunter with a certificate naming him as winner of the scholarship.
An impressive list of activities
At Davenport North, Hunter has been actively involved in many programs and activities including:
● Football, where he was a 2025 state qualifier
● National Honor Society
● Student Council
● Marching Band and Drumline Captain
● Jazz Band and Concert Band
● Musical Pit Orchestra (drums)
● Future Health Professionals
● Junior Rotary
● North Ambassadors
● Youth Leadership Team
● Dual Enrollment Program
● Prom Committee
Beyond school, Hunter is engaged throughout the community, including Davenport Youth Trap Shooting, performing in musical pit orchestras for the Quad City Music Guild and Countryside Community Theatre, and training with Kuk Sool Won. He also volunteers his time coaching youth sports and assisting at the medical tent during the Bix 7 Road Race, and averages working 5-10 hours a week at Whitey's Ice Cream.
Hunter plans to become a neurologist and was inspired by taking an intro to psychology class his sophomore year.
“It interested me so much to see all the different brain functions and how, like, little is known about so many parts of it,” he said.
Getting this honor means his hard work paid off.
“It means a lot because I've done a good amount in high school and I've been able to achieve a good amount, such as qualifying for state wrestling, being a drum line captain, doing all that stuff. It's been interesting,” Hunter said. “And being able to use all those different experiences towards scholarship interviews and being able to talk about that type of stuff. It means a lot.”
He chose Iowa for college because it has a high-quality medical program and is fairly close to home.
Hunter also was motivated to choose medicine as a career because of his father, a critical care paramedic.
“I had some awareness of what was going on in that type of field and then just taking science classes and all that, like it continued to interest me,” he said. “Then in high school too, like taking human biology and intro psychology. Like I said, that helped me to figure out even more about it and like why I love it so much. Then also I get a lot of fulfillment through helping out because currently I've volunteered about 70 hours so far and so I just enjoy it a lot.”
Hunter’s father Andrew is a 30-year paramedic with MedForce Helicopter and Medic in Scott County, and his mother is Jeannie Morrow, a kindergarten teacher at Adams Elementary in Davenport.
“It’s a very fulfilling career; he’s a very smart, bright kid, very goal-driven,” Andrew Morrow said. “It’s amazing saving lives, meeting new people and making a difference in their lives.”
Jeannie said the scholarship will help a lot, so Hunter won’t be in debt as much in medical school.
Their other son, Dalton, just graduated this winter from St. Ambrose University, with a biology degree focusing on botany.
DCSD leaders noted that Hunter’s dedication to academics, leadership, and community service reflects the spirit of the scholarship and the legacy of Dr. Dooley.
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