Celebrating Philanthropy at the Annual Society of 1866 Celebration
Nearly 500 UH friends and benefactors gathered in October for the Annual Society of 1866 Celebration. Recognized for their outstanding generosity and commitment, Mary and Dr. Rustom Khouri, and Bob and Sally Gries were honored with Samuel L. Mather Visionary Awards and Joseph Calabrese, MD, received the 2018 Distinguished Physician Award.
For decades, Mary and Dr. Rustom Khouri have relied on UH St. John Medical Center for all of their family’s healthcare needs. To express their gratitude for the outstanding care they have received over the years, the Khouri’s committed $3 million to support renovations of the hospital’s emergency department. Dr. Khouri, an active member of the UH St. John Medical Center Leadership Council, was the first chair of the hospital’s annual golf outing and has been a consistent contributor to the event since 2013, while Mary proudly serves on the board of the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Foundation.
Bob and Sally Gries have over 40 years of service to UH. Bob has served as a UH Board member since 1977 and is a member of the Orthopedic Leadership Council, while Sally has been a longtime member on the UH Diamond Advisory Group and serves on the Neurological Institute Leadership Council. The Gries’ established the Lucile and Robert H. Gries Endowed Director, Center for Cancer Drug Development, in honor of Bob’s parents, as well as the Sally Gries Nursing Endowment Fund in recognition of the life- saving neurological care Sally received in 1988.
Dr. Joseph Calabrese, Director, Mood Disorders Program and Bipolar Disorders Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, UH Cleveland Medical Center, is a world- renowned physician-scientist and expert in bipolar disorder treatment and research. He is an esteemed and internationally acclaimed researcher who was named the inaugural appointee to Bipolar Disorders Chair in 2007. Dr. Calabrese has dedicated nearly 30 years to serving the patients and families of UH