 February 12, 2010, Morris, IL – As a result of a $4,000 gift from Grundy Bank, the Morris Hospital Foundation’s Hugo Avalos Physician Scholarship fund has reached the $100,000 mark. The Morris Hospital Foundation plans to use the interest earned on the fund to award a scholarship to a local medical student annually.
“This is just as we had always envisioned – an endowed scholarship that won’t ever run out of funding,” says Ginny Kelly, Vice President of Development at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers. “It’s going to serve as a wonderful, long lasting tribute to a man who cared for so many and was so greatly loved by this community.”
Hugo Avalos, a physician who spent more than 40 years practicing medicine in Morris and Seneca, passed away in November 2006. Since then, the Morris Hospital Foundation has been accepting gifts toward the scholarship fund, the first which was a $25,000 gift from Grundy Bank in 2007.
“Grundy Bank gave the Hugo Avalos Physician Scholarship its initial boost, and we were thrilled when they offered to donate the final $4,000 that was needed to bring us to the endowed level,” says Kelly.
In addition to his service as a physician, Dr. Avalos was a long time bank director who was gracious in his service to the community, according to Kevin Olson, President of Grundy Bank.
“Those of us at the bank knew Hugo well and wanted to do something to honor him for all that he did for the community,” said Olson. “Considering his association with the hospital, it seemed appropriate to make a gift to the scholarship fund. After the initial contribution in 2007, we always intended to cap off the fund. It’s really an honor for us and something we know will keep Hugo a part of this community for years to come.”
The timing of Grundy Bank’s gift coincided with the retirement of Carole Griggs and Ron Hanouw as a way to further acknowledge their many years of service to the bank and the community.
Along with Grundy Bank’s role in supporting the scholarship, a number of other donations have been received along the way, including tribute gifts from numerous family members and friends of Dr. Avalos, as well as generous gifts from the Morris Hospital Medical Staff and individual physicians.
“Early in his life, Hugo’s desire to help mankind turned to medicine,” says Dr. James Allen, a general surgeon on the Morris Hospital Medical Staff. “He was a very social man, with a true sense of enthusiasm for the community. And he was sincerely an ambassador to the entire medical community. Because he was loved by so many, it is most appropriate to have a scholarship named after him.”
Dr. Allen and a team of physicians from Morris Hospital will be overseeing the Hugo Avalos Physician Scholarship, including Dr. Ben Johnston, Dr. Beatriz Setrini, Dr. Dana Howd, Dr. Peter Roumeliotis, and Dr. John Roth. Specific details on the scholarship application process
are still being finalized, including applicant eligibility, as well as the specific dollar amount that will be awarded each year.
“In addition to honoring Dr. Avalos, this scholarship is also going to help encourage young people to go into medicine,” says Dr. Roth. “I know Dr. Avalos would be pleased. He was actively involved in medical education, particularly with the University of Illinois in Champaign. Education was clearly one of his interests.”
For more information on the Hugo Avalos Physician Scholarship, contact the Morris Hospital Foundation at 815-942-2932, ext. 1435.
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