Keynote Speaker
Navy SEAL Robert J. O'Neill was the featured speaker at Saturday night's (1/21/2017) 10th Annual Rutherford Society's Gala at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.
This friendly, outgoing man was born 1976 in Butte, Montana and is one of the highest decorated combat veterans of our times. O'Neill was the leader of SEAL Team Six who on October 5, 2014, lead Operation Neptune Spear into a heavily armed compound and killed Osama bin Laden.
O'Neill shared that the principals he learned as a member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group apply to everyday life as well.
He stressed, "You can make elaborate plans for whatever you do, but those plans sometimes have to be scrapped. Plans are different from preparation. The proper course is to prepare and be ready for anything, and to have that preparation so much a part of you--that your decisions are made instinctively and instantly."
He explained why teamwork and respect for your team is vital for both military and all phases of life.
Foundation Awards
Dr. James Lee Boerner was named this year's Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation Physician Champion.
The Dr. Liz Rhea Philanthropist Award went to Dotty Bryant Adams.
Christy-Houston Foundation
On behalf of the Christy-Houston Foundation, David Jones presented the Rutherford Foundation with a check for $100,000.
The Christy-Houston Foundation was set-up when the original Rutherford Hospital was sold to joint owners Baptist and St. Thomas Hospitals in 1986. The approximate $41-million from the sale along with another $1.5-million donation from Frank K. Houston funded the organization. Over the years, those funds have grown to more than $85-million. That money is used to help non-profit groups that help Rutherford County.
The old hospital along with Rutherford County Health Department had their structures underwritten in the 1920's by a grant from the Commonwealth Fund of New York. The original 1924 structure for the health department remains at the corner of North Church and Lytle Streets. The 1927 Rutherford Hospital facility is just a memory.
