|
|
|
The
dedication of the Hubert Department of Global Health marked
a poignant milestone for the RSPH and the Hubert family. In
naming the department, the RSPH paid tribute to the late O.C.
Hubert (left), a Georgia businessman committed to helping
others, and his wife, Ruth. Among those gathered for the occasion
were (top photo, l-r), William Foege, Dick and Linda Hubert,
Henry A. Manning III, H. Aymar Manning Jr., Deborah Hubert,
(bottom row, l-r), Karen Woodward, Marilyn Kemper, Ruth Hubert,
and James Curran. Center, left photo: Dick Hubert, pictured
with his wife, Linda, leads the Hubert Foundation. During
the occasion, Ruth Hubert shared a quiet moment with RSPH
Dean James Curran. |
|
|
|
March
30 was a day like no on other as the Rollins School of
Public Health (RSPH) dedicated the Hubert Department of Global Health,
the first solely named department on the Emory campus and the first
such named department among the nation's schools of public health.
It was also a day to honor O.C. and
Ruth Hubert and their family, for whom the school named the department
in recognition of their generosity. When O.C. died in 1986, he was
the largest private individual owner of property in Cobb County,
Georgia. In accordance with his wishes, the bulk of his estate was
to be used to help others, but not until his wife's death. But as
Ruth told her family, she did not want to be "an impediment
to the charitable purposes" she and O.C. planned.
The result today is the Hubert Foundation,
which is led by her son, Richard (Dick) Hubert. Support to date
from the foundation, which has given and pledged $10 million to
the RSPH, doubled the endowment for the O.C. Hubert Fellowships
in International Health, allowing more students to travel overseas
to conduct field research. It established two chairs—the William
H. Foege Chair of Global Health, held by Keith Klugman, and the
Ruth and O.C. Hubert Chair in Global Health, held by Venkat Narayan—and
created the Richard N. Hubert Fund for Global Health Excellence
to support new and innovative approaches to solving the world's
health challenges.
During the dedication of the Hubert
Department of Global Health, Dick expressed his thanks to the RSPH
for enabling his family's foundation to meet its mission of caring
for people who are hungry or sick. "You are as important to
us as we are to you," he said. "You have the expertise
to accomplish the high purpose of our mission and the sensitivity
to deal with a global world."
The work of the RSPH and the Hubert
family's desire to improve quality of life worldwide make for a
good fit. "The fact is that we can always find a niche and,
I hope, make a difference," Dick told guests, including his
mother, now 97. "We cannot do that unless we have people who
are willing to be trained and go into the field. It is a question
of dedication and a question of training, and the Rollins School
of Public Health does that.
"When we looked through my father's
papers after his death, we found his visa to Ethiopia—he wanted
to find some way to do directly what we are doing," Dick noted.
"I do it in his name, I do it in the family's name, and I thank
you very much for your effort to what I think is a common and worthwhile
goal."
|
|
|