Lloyd and Dorothy Huck

A philanthropist, avid aviation enthusiast, and respected business leader, J. Lloyd Huck, Jr., lived a life of joy and exceptional generosity. As former hospital board chairman, Augusta Stone Award recipient, and Foundation trustee emeritus, his lifelong community commitment included advancing exceptional health care for patients of Morristown Medical Center. He also served on numerous hospital committees over the years.

With his death on December 4, 2012, Mr. Huck, 90, continued his legacy of generosity through a bequest that fully funded a $2 million virtual endowment started years earlier. The gift permanently establishes The Dorothy and Lloyd Huck Chair of Cardiology at Morristown Medical Center, which is currently held by Dr. Linda Gillam.

"He was a true humanitarian and civic leader, and I personally enjoyed working with him during the many years he volunteered at the hospital," says Jim Quinn, chief development officer for the Foundation. "Our deepest sympathies go to his wife, Dottie, and his family."

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Nutley, N.J., Mr. Huck graduated from Penn State University in 1946 after serving in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor and a B-29 bomber pilot. He met his wife Dottie at a college dance. After receiving a degree in chemical engineering, he worked first for Hoffman LaRoche and then for Merck & Company, eventually retiring as chairman of the board.

Married 69 years, the couple has three children, four grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. Reflecting fondly on their years together, Mrs. Huck notes that her husband had his own plane, which enabled them to fly all over the United States for family vacations.

Having also once been a volunteer for Morristown Medical Center, Mrs. Huck says of their gift that they loved helping people in the community, and they loved the hospital.

The virtual endowment, which was established during their lifetime through annual contributions and then became fully funded through the bequest to the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, ensures medical excellence in cardiology for generations to come.

While a true endowment provides a sustainable source of support for its designated purpose, it requires full funding upfront. By comparison, a virtual endowment requires only annual payments and a signed estate gift that will make it fully funded after the donor's death. During the donor's lifetime, however, it functions like a fully funded endowment, with the donor gaining recognition for the entire value of the gift. For information about establishing an endowment, virtual or true, please contact Cynthia W. O'Donnell, JD, at 973.593.2418 or cynthia.odonnell@atlantichealth.org.