Investment Leader Invests in Medical Center
With a personable combination of wry humor and rural North Carolina reserve, John Williard makes light of his 30 years as treasurer of Wake Forest University. In fact, his astute handling of the university’s finances helped take its endowment from $15 million during his early service to $400 million when he retired in 1993.
Now this former chief investor—responsible for building portfolios valued in the hundreds of millions—has invested in Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Williard and his wife, Pat, have come to know the Medical Center as deeply as anyone possibly could, so their financial commitment is especially significant. From John’s days managing the books on the Reynolda campus and sharing friendship and leadership with many remarkable School of Medicine faculty, to his hand surgery and rotator cuff healing, on through Pat’s life-saving treatment for lymphoma, the couple has a thorough and personal perspective on Wake Forest Baptist.
Strong Seeds, Fertile Fields
There’s a connection between the growth of the Medical Center’s endowment on John Williard’s watch and the great care the Williards have experienced. Financial strength has enabled Wake Forest Baptist to recruit top faculty and establish the highest-quality programs where rigorous academic training is grounded in extraordinary compassion.
The Medical Center’s endowment is managed as part of the Wake Forest University endowment. The pool includes funds from Wake Forest Baptist and the School of Medicine, in addition to other endowed investments from the university.
The Williards’ Investment
The Williards have designated lifetime and estate gifts to establish an endowed fund for priority initiatives in hematology/oncology and the Comprehensive Cancer Center. The fund is “in recognition of Dr. Bayard Powell and the numerous other medical professionals who provided Mrs. Williard with extraordinary medical, emotional and spiritual care during her illness.”
“They even let my dog, Tilly, come to my hospital room!” Pat says. “There’s more to healing than science.”
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