Donors were there for her husband in 1917 when he was just a boy.
One small boy was fortunate to attend the children’s home in 1917, soon after its construction. During his childhood, the boy experienced an accident which resulted in an infected leg. He required treatment at the Masonic Health Care Center on the Elizabethtown campus for more than a year. Since this was prior to modern medicine and the use of antibiotics, there was talk of amputation.
Fortunately, his physician decided to try a new treatment, called Dakin’s Solution, a recipe used to kill bacteria growth in wounds. The treatment worked, and the little boy recovered from his misfortune. He grew up to be a healthy and successful businessman.
In 1982, this young man met the love of his life, a nurse anesthetist and graduate of Duke University. As husband and wife, they were active philanthropists. In 1996, he passed away at age 91. He often credited the good care he received at the children’s home for saving his life and greatly influencing him to become the man he was.
Since then, his widow, Evelyn Hunter-Longdon, has remembered those special words, and, in 2003, began making significant contributions to the children’s home in honor of her husband. She worked with Alvin Blitz, chief gift planning officer, and over the course of 14 years, a friendship was built between them. Today, Evelyn supports the daily needs of the children as well as multiple scholarships. In turn, the resource center on campus has been named for her.
“Alvin has helped me fulfill my husband’s wish, which has also become my love,” she said. Stan Longdon’s success story personifies the work of generous donors, and Evelyn’s is a true story of paying it forward.