Donation is third $1 million gift to
Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpaitent Care

Salem, Mass. – When the Lillian Waldfogel Breast Imaging Center opens its doors in spring 2009, breast cancer patients seeking treatment will be able to do so all under one roof at the Mass General/ North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers. The new center is being made possible by a $1 million gift from the Morton and Lillian Waldfogel Charitable Foundation.

Robert G. Norton, President and CEO of North Shore Medical Center (NSMC), announced the Waldfogel gift at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the outpatient care facility September 25. Norton said generous gifts such as these demonstrate the commitment North Shore residents have to partnering the world-class expertise of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with the outstanding community-based care of NSMC.

Currently patients must travel from one site to another for different aspects of their care, an undue burden for those battling serious illness. The Lillian Waldfogel Breast Imaging Center will help consolidate treatment in one facility and will have a tremendous impact for breast patients here on the North Shore, according to M. Christian Semine, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiology.

“Once the Breast Imaging Center opens, women who have their yearly mammograms at any NSMC site will come to the Center for any diagnostic imaging or image-guided biopsies. Centralizing the care of all these patients to one location will give our patients direct access to the most advanced techniques and expertise on the North Shore,” Dr. Semine said.

Community ties run deep

The Waldfogel family has deep ties to the North Shore community. Peter and Jane Waldfogel are trustees of the Morton and Lillian Waldfogel Charitable Foundation and wish to honor the memory of their parents and to continue their tradition of giving to religious, educational, and medical organizations. Peter is a philanthropist and lifelong resident of Swampscott; Jane is a professor of social work and public affairs at Columbia University School of Social Work in New York.

After serving in World War II, Morton Waldfogel founded Allied Plywood with Ed Gildea who remained his partner for more than 50 years. Allied negotiated the rights to be the exclusive importer of Russian plywood and by the 1960's Allied represented more than 10 percent of this country's trade with Russia. The company was so successful that it is featured as a case study at Harvard Business School.

“Mort was a brilliant entrepreneur,” said Howard Rich of Marblehead, a long-time friend. “He was a visionary, way ahead of his time,” Rich said, noting that his analytical skills first had been put to the test during World War II.

Morton Waldfogel served as a radar officer on the U.S.S. Iowa, under Admiral "Bull" Halsey. He was later stationed on the destroyer Southerland which was outside Tokyo Bay when the war ended. He led the first shore patrol and was the second man to step foot on Japanese soil. The story Morton Waldfogel enjoyed telling the most—to the delight of his granddaughter—was the time his crew found a damaged ship loaded with mandarin oranges and feasted like kings.

The success of Allied Plywood allowed Morton and his wife Lillian (Gouse), with whom he shared 50 years of happy marriage, to become active in philanthropy. They gave generously to a variety of religious, educational, and medical organizations both on the local and national level.

“Mort was totally dedicated to his wife, Lillian. Together, they were very generous to the community,” Rich said. And with the Morton and Lillian Waldfogel Charitable Foundation, that legacy continues.

Third major gift to Danvers outpatient facility

The $1 million gift from the Morton and Lillian Waldfogel Charitable Foundation is the

third major donation to date tied to the Mass General/ North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers.

Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation made a $1 million gift this spring in honor of Stanley J. Lukowski, its recently retired President and CEO, who is also a longtime trustee of Salem Hospital, NSMC and Partners HealthCare. North Shore entrepreneur, philanthropist, and NSMC Trustee Arthur Epstein and his wife Eunice pledged $1 million this summer in support.

The working goal of NSMC’s capital fundraising efforts is $20 million in support of the MGH/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care. When completed, it will deliver more sophisticated services than any existing or proposed outpatient facility in the region. It will offer the latest in cardiac diagnostics, suites for minimally invasive surgery, and advanced imaging services. It will also serve as the expanded home of the new MGH and NSMC Cancer Center, a collaborative oncology program with MGH and Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare.

The Boston architectural firm of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott designed the sleek, modern 122,000-square-foot outpatient facility and adjacent 80,000-square-foot medical office building. The project will be built by Walsh Brothers Construction, Inc., which specializes in modern medical facilities. Construction costs are estimated at $104 million with a target completion date in spring 2009.