How Planned Gifts Have Built and Continue to Sustain the Hospital
Past and Present, Looking Toward the Future
As early as 1862, the hospital’s directors published a bequest form in the Annual Report and every year they urged the well-to-do citizens of Hartford to visit the hospital, see the good work that was being done there, and remember it, either in life or in their wills. These measures were largely successful. By the decade’s end, the endowment had grown to include 17 major trusts...allowing the endowment to cover 46% of the hospital’s operating costs. Members of many of Hartford’s wealthiest families included the hospital in their wills, thereby sustaining the overall endowment, as did people of more modest means. The stories below about David Watkinson and Patrick O’Reilly exemplify the fact that meaningful gift planning ignores economic boundaries and ensures a better future for us all.
The 1854 Society recognizes and honors every person who has planned a gift for the benefit of Hartford Hospital, regardless of your “means.” Simply sharing with us the fact that those plans have been put in place can qualify you for membership in the 1854 Society.
All gifts are subject to our Gift Acceptance Policy, so we encourage you to talk with us about your plans in advance to make sure that we can help you assure the best possible outcome for all parties concerned.
| David Watkinson | Patrick O’Reilly | Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center | Frederick S. and Grace E. Bliss |
Marjorie Butcher
Marjorie Butcher, the first female faculty member at Trinity College, is remembered for her generosity of spirit.
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Roger Klene
Diagnosed in 1986 with a blocked artery, Roger Klene underwent a heart bypass here at Hartford Hospital.
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