Foundation Celebrates 40 Years of Service

The Salem Hospital Foundation was founded 40 years ago by a group of citizen volunteers interested in advancing healthcare through donations.

On May 25, 1967, members of the hospital board of trustees filed articles of incorporation for a foundation. And within a month, the Foundation had received $2,500 from Southern Pacific Railroad, and Daniel Fry Sr. had given 82 shares of stock in Illinois Central Industries.

In 1968, control of the Foundation passed to its own board of directors, led by Leonard Kremen, manager of Lipman’s department store. The Foundation made its first grant of $500 on Aug. 22, 1968. It was a scholarship to help Rose McGrory attain her associate degree in nursing at Salem Tech, which later became Chemeketa Community College.

In 2006, the Foundation awarded $111,000 in scholarships to 89 students, and granted a total of $567,073 to various healthrelated projects.