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More than a century ago, two sisters from southern Illinois helped lay the foundation for nursing education in the region. Today, their legacy will continue through a new scholarship supporting the next generation of nurses at Lincoln Trail College.
Beginning with the 2026–27 academic year, the Lincoln Trail College Foundation will award the Katharina and Philomina Weber Nursing Scholarship to a student enrolled in the college’s Nursing program. The scholarship honors the Weber sisters’ lasting contributions to nursing care and education in southeastern Illinois.
Katharina Weber and her sister Philomina Regina “Minnie” Weber played key roles in the development of the Olney Sanitarium and its Training School for Nurses during the early 20th century, helping establish a tradition of professional nursing education in the region.
Katharina Weber was born Nov. 16, 1882, the tenth child of Benedict and Eva Regina Weber. She graduated from the St. Louis Mullanphy Hospital School of Nursing, operated by the Daughters of Charity, and also received additional training in New York.
She came to the Olney Sanitarium in 1906 and soon became superintendent of nurses. In 1907, at just 25 years old, she established and directed the Sanitarium’s Training School for Nurses. Katharina served as superintendent of nurses and director of the school from its founding until her retirement in 1947.
Her sister, Philomina Regina “Minnie” Weber, was born Oct. 25, 1880, the ninth of twelve children in the Weber family. She attended school in Wendelin, Illinois, before enrolling in the first nursing training class at the Sanitarium in April 1907.
Minnie graduated from the program in May 1910 and later served as assistant superintendent of nurses at the Sanitarium. She also became an instructor in obstetrical nursing at the Training School.
During World War I, Minnie volunteered as a Red Cross nurse and served in 1918 and 1919 at U.S. General Hospital No. 2 at Fort McHenry in Maryland. There she cared for wounded soldiers as well as patients suffering from the influenza pandemic that swept across the United States during that time.
Together, the Weber sisters helped guide and educate generations of nurses during a period when the profession was still developing its modern standards and educational pathways.
The Olney Sanitarium Training School for Nurses operated for more than four decades, preparing nearly 300 graduates before it closed in 1949. The program combined classroom instruction with extensive hands-on hospital training, providing opportunities for young women to pursue professional careers in health care.
The Weber sisters remained deeply connected to the institution throughout their lives, helping shape both the education of nurses and the care provided to patients in the region.
Today, that tradition of nursing education continues through Lincoln Trail College’s Nursing program, which prepares students to serve hospitals, clinics, and communities across southeastern Illinois.
The new scholarship bearing the Weber sisters’ names is designed to support students pursuing that same path of service.
“Both Katharina and Minnie Weber dedicated their lives to caring for others and preparing future nurses for that responsibility,” said Bill Sandiford, executive director of the Lincoln Trail College Foundation. “This scholarship allows their legacy to live on by supporting students who are following the same path of service and compassion.”
The first Katharina and Philomina Weber Nursing Scholarship will be awarded to a Lincoln Trail College Nursing student for the 2026–27 academic year.
