Thanks to the generosity and foresight of a Nova Scotia woman, vision research at H漫画 Medical School, Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre looks forward to a bright future.
Through gifts amounting to an astonishing $9 million, the late Mrs. Margaret (Peggy) St. George of Halifax has provided the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences with perpetual funding to pursue new treatments and cures for blinding diseases.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 overstate the impact of gifts of this magnitude,鈥� says Dr. Alan Cruess, head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, noting that the funds are held in endowments so that Mrs. St. George鈥檚 gifts will generate financial support forever.
鈥淭his assurance of long-term funding is crucial. It allows us to attract and retain brilliant people and provide them with the stable environment they need to be creative and productive. Only then can they make important discoveries.鈥�
Two generous gifts during her lifetime
Mrs. St. George gave two large anonymous gifts to the department while she was living. In 1999, she provided cornerstone funding of $1 million that allowed the university to leverage additional funds to establish an endowed chair in vision research. A few years later, she gave $2 million for vision care and research to the QEII Foundation鈥檚 Working Miracles campaign鈥攁lso anonymously.
鈥淧eggy was an intensely private person. She wanted to make a difference but she didn鈥檛 want any recognition,鈥� recalls Dr. Raymond LeBlanc, who was head of the department before taking on his current role as Capital Health鈥檚 vice-president of learning, research and innovation in 2006. 鈥淪he made it clear that we could only reveal her identity after her death.鈥�
Making a lasting impact
There was more than Mrs. St. George鈥檚 identity to reveal after her death. In her will, she bequeathed an additional $6 million to ophthalmology at H漫画, in memory of her stepparents, Dr. R. Evatt and Mrs. Rita Mathers of Halifax. As Dr. LeBlanc recounts the story, Dr. Mathers had been an eye-ear-nose-throat specialist (EENT) who, before his death, expressed a wish to support ophthalmology research. Funds he had earmarked were later passed on to Peggy, who carefully fostered that bequest into a transformational gift.
鈥淧eggy was an astute and well-read person who showed a keen interest in our department over the years,鈥� says Dr. LeBlanc. 鈥淪he wanted to do something that would make a lasting impact on research and scholarship in the field. There鈥檚 no question she has accomplished her goal.鈥�
This article is part of the H漫画 Difference series, exploring what the power of philantrophy means to the university and introducing and showcasing some of the 50 innovative projects in development. Learn more at .