THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610040220
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: 63 lines
The sale of Portsmouth General Hospital to Bon Secours Maryview took away any reason for being for the Portsmouth General Auxiliary, so on Wednesday the volunteers held what they believed would be their last session.
Aside from a good meal and some nostalgic talk, they had one item of business: getting rid of some $200,000.
And there's the rub.
The auxiliary board, headed by J. Norman Willett, recommended giving the money left in the treasury to Eastern Virginia Medical School with the stipulation that interest only be spent and that it be spent only on medical students from Portsmouth or ``with strong Portsmouth ties.''
However, sending the money to Norfolk for any reason did not sit well with a majority of the members. They voted down the board's recommendation.
The board made the decision after hearing several requests for the money, including one from the Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation. The Foundation is like the Auxiliary in that it is independent and not part of the transfer of assets of Portsmouth General from Tidewater Health Care to Maryview.
Willett said the board felt that by using the money for a Portsmouth General Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship at EVMS, ``we could keep the name of this organization alive.''
``To keep the name alive is noteworthy,'' said Julia Hoffler, a board member. ``But why not use the money in Portsmouth? Why send it to Norfolk?''
Douglas Powell agreed.
``I have great respect for EVMS, but we all still have deep feelings for Portsmouth,'' Powell said. ``The money ought to stay on this side of the river.''
When the vote came, a majority felt the same way.
As noteworthy as the idea of a scholarship for Portsmouth medical students is, history may be on the side of those who voted down that proposal.
Almost $150,000 of the money in the Auxiliary bank account is part of a memorial fund created years ago by two Portsmouth women, Mrs. O. Emmerson Smith and Mrs. Kenneth McAlpine, in memory of their husbands. Between them they gave about $50,000 in stocks and bonds to the fund, specifically earmarked to help indigent sick citizens of Portsmouth. The money has tripled over the years even though the Auxiliary gives some of it away on behalf of indigent patients every week.
The fact that, according to everybody's recollections, the money was meant to help poor people in Portsmouth get medical care could be the best case for finding another avenue to put the money to good use.
Alan Gollihue, executive director of the PGH Foundation, said he would be happy to handle the money and to designate gifts and grants from the fund as coming from the Portsmouth General Hospital Auxiliary.
Or the auxiliary could make a designated gift through the Portsmouth Community Trust, he said.
``There are many ways to handle this sort of thing,'' he added.
Now the Auxiliary board must figure out the best way.
The 65-year-old Auxiliary is scheduled to disband by the end of the calendar year, so there's not much time for debate. Doug Powell said he is going to ask for a meeting of the entire membership to confirm or deny any plan the board may propose.
Inviting the entire membership to make the decision is a good idea. Otherwise, some members of the Auxiliary might be bitter.
That would be a sad ending for an organization that has served this city so well for so many years. by CNB