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Gift to school described as investment in people
October 2, 2009
Norman and Gerry Sue Arnold
celebrate Norman's
birthday at the Public Health
Research Center.
(l-r) Norman Arnold, Gerry Sue
Arnold, Tom Chandler, Patricia
Moore-Pastides and
President Harris Pastides
The Arnold School’s first family, Gerry Sue and Norman Arnold, were honored Thursday with the unveiling of a bas relief in the entrance to the Public Health Research Center on Assembly St.
The Arnolds’ four grandchildren were among more than 100 family members, friends, faculty and students gathered for an emotional ceremony that also fell on Norman Arnold’s 80th birthday.
The University renamed its school of public health in honor of Arnold after he and Mrs. Arnold donated $10 million to finance an endowment that supports the institution’s teaching, research and public education efforts.
The Arnolds’ generosity has continued since with the creation of an awards program recognizing outstanding alumni during the school’s annual Hooding Ceremony and a fellowship program to support fulltime students seeking doctorates in public health.
USC President Harris Pastides, then dean of public health, told the crowd that in late 2000 the Arnolds revealed that they wanted to “bestow a philanthropic investment, not a gift” in USC and the School of Public Health.
The investment, together with the subsequent name change, resulted in the Arnold School becoming the first public school of public health in the U.S. to be named and honor a family and benefactor, Pastides said.
“We expect to see your investment in us continue to pay dividends,” Pastides said.
Called to the lectern, Arnold choked and wiped tears as he struggled to speak of his late father whom he honored in 1965 with the creation of the Ben Arnold Memorial Foundation and the Ben Arnold Memorial Boy’s Club in Columbia.
“We’ve given a bit, and we’ve received a lot more,” Arnold said, describing his donation “not as an investment in programs, but an investment in people … “
Arnold fellow Jeff Hatala, a 43-year-old married father of two who has returned to college to fulfill a dream, was one of three Arnold Fellows to thank the Arnolds for their generosity.
“This fellowship has made a huge difference to me and my family. I don’t think I would have been able to do this without you. I hope that my contribution to public health makes the kind of impact on others that yours has made to me,” said Hatala, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Services Policy and Management.
Michelle Johnston, a student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, said her fellowship has enabled her to pursue a program of research into the impact of pathogens in South Carolina’s coastal regions. She is the recipient of another fellowship in Washington next year, where “I intend to take the Arnold School name along and make you proud,” she said.
Leah Williams, a student in Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, noted how expensive graduate school can be. “The Arnold Scholarship lifted a huge burden from my shoulders,” she said, adding it also “seemed to give me the extra motivation, the extra push to come in and do my very best,” she said.
Arnold School dean Dr. Tom Chandler thanked Arnold for his support since he took the job on an interim basis two years ago. He also recounted Arnold’s “rarely successful battle against pancreatic cancer “at the very young age of 52.”
Chandler said Arnold survived the test, “Through a strong focus on macrobiotic diet, through strong family relationships, through physical activity and also through a lifelong optimist attitude.” (Arnold’s story)
The 21x30-inch bas relief hangs on the wall, greeting those who enter the PHRC from the Assembly/College Street entrance. In addition to the metal image of the Arnolds, the inscription beneath reads:
“The Arnold family has provided a significant endowment that permanently benefits the students of the Arnold School of Public Health.
“As a cancer survivor, I have been given many more good years of life. I believe the breakthrough research being done here will improve the health of the citizens of our state and the nation.
“This school is named in recognition of a generous gift from Gerry Sue and Norman Arnold.”
