HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University has received $500,000 from the Huntington Foundation Inc. to create The Huntington Foundation Inc./Frank E. Hanshaw Sr. Endowed Chair of Geriatrics. The gift was announced today by Dr. Joseph I. Shapiro, dean of the school.

The gift is expected to be matched by the West Virginia Research Trust Fund, also known as Bucks for Brains, which brings the total benefit to Marshall to $1 million.

“I am very pleased the Huntington Foundation, in its quest to support health care and medical education in our community, has made this wonderful gift to our school of medicine,” Shapiro said. “Research into areas like geriatrics and the aging process, which include such diseases as hypertension and diabetes, is pivotal to helping those in our state and Appalachia lead fuller and more productive lives. We are very grateful to the Huntington Foundation for its generosity and leadership in this area.”

The endowed chair is named for the foundation and in memory of Frank E. Hanshaw Sr., who for years served Marshall University and the Huntington community through service in many diverse areas. He was a founder and past president of the Marshall University Foundation Inc., and also was chairman of the board of Huntington Wholesale Furniture Co. 

Hanshaw served as president of several other local and national organizations, including the Marshall University Alumni Association, the Huntington Chamber of Commerce, the Tri-State Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Huntington Rotary Club and the National Wholesale Furniture Association.

In addition, Hanshaw served as one of the original trustees of the Huntington Foundation, which was created in 1984 to return to the community money generated by the sale of Huntington Hospital to Hospital Corporation of America.

His son, Frank E. Hanshaw Jr., now serves as president of the foundation which makes grants for charitable, religious, education and scientific needs. 

“My father was a great proponent of Marshall University and I know he would be thrilled with the decision to build a robust research program in an area that will benefit many, many people,” Hanshaw Jr. said. “Through dad’s work and through the work of many others, the foundation’s commitment to build a better community remains steadfast.” 

Dr. Joseph B. Touma, Huntington Foundation board member and chair of the Marshall University Board of Governors, said the donation is the Huntington Foundation’s largest single gift since he’s been involved with the organization.

“The Huntington Foundation believes in supporting higher education, especially medical education,” he said. “We are dedicated to ensuring our contributions focus on areas that benefit the lives of many people, and I feel sure that the research that will occur as a result of this partnership will be paramount to future generations.”

In addition to Touma and Hanshaw, Lee K. Oxley and Kermit E. McGinnis are members of the Huntington Foundation Board of Directors.

Previous gifts from the Huntington Foundation include a $1 million contribution in 1988 that created the Frank E. Hanshaw Sr. Geriatric Center. Additional gifts include funding for Marshall University research and the endowed Edith M. Miller Memorial Nursing Scholarship.

For additional information on this contribution or for more information about giving to the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, please contact Linda Holmes at 304-696-1711.

Date Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2013