Mission honors Huff and Key at Founders' Day celebration
Mission Hospital honored pediatrician-advocate Olson Huff, MD and philanthropist Adelaide Daniels Keyat its annual Founders' Day celebration held Tuesday, November 10 at the Doubletree hotel in Biltmore.
Dr. Huff, founding Medical Director of Mission Children's Hospital and founder of the Huff Center for children with delays and disabilities, is recipient of the 2009 Founders' Day Award for physicians. His award was announced by Dale Fell, MD, Chief Medical officer of Mission Hospital.
"In 2007, then-Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue awarded Olson North Carolina's most prestigious honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine," Fell said. "In making the award she said, 'When the history of children's health care in North Carolina is written, Dr. Huff's picture will be on the front cover.'"
Adelaide Daniels Key, whose vision and generosity created the Rathbun Center hospital hospitality house and the Key Center for Learning, is recipient for the 2009 Founders' Day Award for community leaders. Her award was announced by George Renfro, Chairman of the Board of Mission. Key is a former board member of Mission.
"Her unfailing commitment to providing increased access to care for all, regardless of their ability to pay, health and wellness services and programs, and quality healthcare for all of our region's residents makes Western North Carolina a better place to live for all of us," he said.
Past recipients are Battle Haslam, MD and John S. "Jack" Stevens in 2008; the late Robert Boerner, MD and the Blomberg and Patton families in 2007; Lewis Rathbun, MD, and the Charles D. Owen family in 2006, and John Russell, MD, the George and Nancy Cecil family and the ladies of the Flower Mission and the Sisters of Mercy in 2005.
More than 200 hospital leaders, board members, and community leaders attended the annual event. Mission founders included the ladies of the Flower Mission and the Catholic Sisters of Mercy, who opened the first hospitals in Asheville in the 1800s.
