Department is Beneficiary of Second Million Dollar Gift From
Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton
Dr.Ralph S. Hamilton and his wife, Barbara, have
generously presented the Methodist Hospitals Foundation and
the Department of Ophthalmology of UT Memphis with a one
million dollar gift to support ophthalmic research. This
gift follows upon another one million dollar gift given by
the Hamiltons in 1994 to establish an endowed professorship
in Ophthalmology at the College of Medicine.
Dr. Hamilton is a Professor of Ophthalmology at UT
Memphis, and has practiced at Methodist Hospital since 1959, serving
as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Methodist since 1976.
The gift was announced and the Hamiltons honored at a ceremony at the
University Club on December 17, 1997. Addressing the assembly were
Maurice W. Elliot, President and CEO of Methodist Health Hospitals
Foundation, Kevin F. Roper, President of the Methodist Hospitals
Foundation, William R. Rice, Chancellor of UT Memphis and Dr. Robert
L. Summitt, Dean of the College of Medicine of UT Memphis.
The gift from Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton will be used to expand
ongoing research projects of individual researchers and to
facilitate collaborations among basic and clinical
investigators through the use of shared equipment,
establishment of common facilities and support of joint
trainees. The Department has experienced a period of active
development and expansion over the past two years, under the
leadership of Dr. Barrett G. Haik, who holds the Hamilton
Professorship. This gift will be used to sustain growth and
productivity of Department members.