One good deed deserves a scholarship

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

Kindness matters. There are some people we meet who do kind and good deeds and leave an imprint on our lives forever. Dr. Surya Pamulapati, “Dr. P.” of West Union Family Dentistry, had such a person in his life.

Karen Tompkins, a mail carrier in Columbia, Missouri, became a special friend to Dr. P. while he was studying for his Master of Public Health degree. Their interactions during her mail rounds evolved into a profound friendship, a bond that would extend to Dr. P’s wife, Colleen, and their two children, who came to see Tompkins as a beloved family member.