The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, together with the Cambria County Medical Society, Conemaugh Health System, Lee Initiatives and Windber Medical Center, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2014 Apollo Award. This year’s awardees include Mary Borkow, Dr. William Hauger, Dr. Roger Morrell and Dr. James Richey. The Apollo Award is given annually to members of (or family members of) the medical community who have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in our region. It is designed to encourage and acknowledge participation by the medical community in initiatives that go beyond the health care professional’s normal scope of work.
As a nominee, it was noted that Mrs. Borkow has a “genuine positive spirit that gets any committee going in the right direction” and that she “never fails to bring fresh ideas to the team.” In addition, those who nominated her recognized that, while many support community causes, “few have done so with the strength, determination and leadership of Mary Borkow.”
Dr. Hauger, who passed away in 2013, is being honored posthumously. As a nominee, Dr. Hauger was lauded for his many achievements, including his role in medical education, the modernization of the Intensive Care Unit at Memorial Medical Center and his leadership role in establishing Conemaugh Physician Group.
Dr. Morrell, who passed away in 2012, is also being honored posthumously. In nominating him, his colleagues advocated that “every medical student should take a class called Morrell 101 – how to treat patients with respect and walk with them, not above them.”
Dr. Richey was recognized for his “pioneering care of gastrointestinal patients in the community, as well as his leadership role with many social, humanitarian and cultural organizations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.”
The 2014 Apollo Award winners will be honored at a dinner on Tuesday, November 4 at the Holiday Inn, downtown Johnstown. Tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by contacting Anne McGrath at 814-536-7741. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
In addition to honoring the four awardees, the dinner will feature the recipients of the 2014 Apollo Scholarship. This scholarship, initiated in 2008, is awarded each year through the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies’ Apollo Medical Community Fund. It is awarded to area students who are in their 3rd and/or 4th year of medical school medical and who have expressed an interest in returning to the area to practice medicine upon graduation. Recipients will be announced shortly.
In July, the community welcomed one of the first Apollo scholarship recipients back to the region. Dr. John Ashurst, a Northern Cambria native who received Apollo scholarships in 2008 and 2009, returned to the area after completing his medical education and residency, and now serves as an Emergency Department physician at Memorial Medical Center.
Recipients of the Lee Auxiliary’s “Emily Lee Scholarship” will also be recognized at the November 4 dinner. This scholarship honors the vision and spirit of Emily Lee, wife of Dr. John K. Lee, after whom Lee Hospital was named. Since these scholarships began, the Auxiliary has given over $100,000 to area students who are pursuing degrees in the health care field.
(Shown in the photo, clockwise from top left: Mary Borkow, Dr. William Hauger, Dr. James Richey, and Dr. Roger Morrell.)
