Tarleton receives $1.5 million for nursing scholarships TSU Newsroom Retired Air Force Col. Charles Leigon decided years ago that he wanted his legacy to include helping Tarleton State University nursing students. In fact, he gifted the third-largest cash donation in university history. Final steps were taken in early December when Tarleton received $1.5 million from Col. Leigon’s estate to make that legacy a reality. This is in addition to property donations, valued around $500,000, made in concert with the 40th anniversary of Tarleton’s nursing program in 2016. “My father recognizes the need for more highly skilled nurses,” Russell Leigon said on the occasion of the initial bequest in 2016. “He believes the program at Tarleton offers some of the best education and training in the state. It’s the kind of win-win that does my father proud.”