Men honored for 178 years of service to Beebe Medical Center
“Beebe Medical Center wouldn’t be what it is today without the efforts of these gentlemen.”
With those words, former Board Chairwoman Janet McCarty opened a celebration of the 178 years of combined service to the Board of Directors of Beebe Medical Center by Dr. James Beebe Jr., Eugene Bookhammer, Joseph Hudson and Halsey Knapp. Beebe Medical Center doctors, nurses, staff, friends and family gathered at Rehoboth Beach Country Club April 13 to honor the men.
The evening included a video tribute, honorary resolutions from the Delaware House of Representatives and Senate, a congratulatory letter from Gov. Jack Markell and announcement that each of the men has been granted director emeritus status on the board. With the exception of Beebe, the longest-ever serving member of the hospital board, the men have given up their volunteer working positions on the board.
Beebe, son of Dr. James Beebe Sr., who founded Beebe Hospital with his brother Dr. Richard Beebe in 1916, has served on Beebe Medical Center’s Board of Directors for 55 years, starting in 1957. “That’s more than half of the 96 years Beebe Medical Center has been in existence,” said Jeff Fried, Beebe president.
Gene Bookhammer started his tenure on the board in 1959, Halsey Knapp in 1961 and Joe Hudson in 1986.
“What strikes me is the extraordinary commitment of these men to their community,” said Fried.
With more than 200 doctors associated and nearly 2,000 employees, Beebe Medical Center is a nonprofit, community-owned institution. The 22-member board of directors holds responsibility for its successful operation.
Men’s contributions cited
Fried said Dr. James Beebe Jr., a retired surgeon, brings the same commitment to excellence envisioned by his father and uncle when they founded Beebe Hospital. James Beebe has often mentioned the friendship that his father and uncle had with the Mayo brothers of Mayo Clinic fame. “They visited the Mayo brothers, saw what they were doing and wanted to have their own clinic of excellence in Lewes,” said Beebe.
“The focus on excellence to get us where we are today - that is what stands out about Dr. Beebe,” Fried said. “He has always acted like it is his hospital, and we are the better for it.”
In his 48 years as a hospital director, Gene Bookhammer developed a reputation as a tireless fundraiser for the center. “The joke is that people who meet with Gene always have to check and make sure they still have their wallets after their meetings,” said Fried. Bookhammer helped found Beebe Medical Foundation as a fundraising arm of the institution. “It would be hard to find anyone who has been so passionate about Beebe Medical Center as Gene,” said Fried.
In his 51 years of service, Halsey Knapp developed a reputation for the hard questions he would ask during board meetings. “He has never been satisfied with good or better,” said Fried. “Halsey has only been interested in how we can be the best. He has never been bashful about making his opinions known.”
At 25 years of service, Joe Hudson is the youngster among the honorees. “Joe is known as a risk taker,” said Fried. “He always wanted us to dream big things - things we wouldn’t have thought possible. All of these men - men of vision - are a reminder of what we can become with the relentless pursuit of excellence and the ability to overcome whatever is necessary to accomplish what we set out to achieve.”
Judge Bill Lee, current chairman of the Beebe board of directors, reminded those gathered of what Beebe has accomplished through the years: “When I came out of the Marine Corps in 1964, I knew Gene from Delaware politics, Halsey made the best apple cider anywhere, Joe was flying airplanes and Jim Beebe wasn’t my doctor, but he was my friend. Since then I’ve realized that what you get at Beebe is people who care about you - and I hope that’s a tradition being carried on. They’ve been part of an institution that started out as one or two rooms and which has grown into a facility that wins national awards every year. That’s a culture that these men founded and fostered. As we go forward, we will be walking in the footsteps of giants. I hope that what we build in the future will be worthy of what they have provided us through their many years of service.”
