Though the doors will be closing within a year at the University Medical Center at Princeton, the individuals who have made the existing hospital what it is today—its past donors—will still have a presence in the glistening new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.
The many plaques that adorn the rooms, hallways, and other areas of the existing medical center will be moved to new homes—back to the individuals and families involved in the gift. “We are identifying the plaques in the existing hospital and are planning to distribute them to either the donor or the next of kin of the person memorialized,” explained Joe Stampe, Vice President of Development, Princeton HealthCare System (PHCS) Foundation.
The plaques themselves will revert to PHCS supporters, but the names of these important individuals and organizations will be included in the large-scale Donor Wall in the new hospital. “We are literally taking our donors with us,” said Barry Rabner, President and CEO, Princeton HealthCare System. “These donors are an extremely important part of the history of PHCS; their support helped propel us to the exciting place we are today. We will remain forever grateful to all of the donors who have supported us since Princeton Hospital welcomed its first patient in 1919.”
Article as seen in Foundation News Fall 2011.