E.C. Edwards

E.C. Edwards was born in 1879 and grew to be a successful and civic-minded businessman. When he died in 1943, his obituary referred to him as “one of the community’s best known citizens.” He was also philanthropic, leaving Blanchard Valley Hospital a $200,000 gift in the form of a testamentary trust which has grown to be a multimillion dollar investment with a feature not typical of trusts: access to principal.

In his lifetime, Mr. Edwards witnessed the first television, Ford Model A and construction of the Panama Canal. Perhaps these innovations are what helped to fuel his imagination for the future. He envisioned needs at the hospital that could require more than what would be provided through just interest and dividends, so he stipulated that distributions of principal could be requested. Would he have imagined his trust providing a surgical robot? Not likely, but that is what his gift funded in 2010, launching the E.C. Edwards Robotic Surgery Program which allows physicians to provide care for patients with enhanced precision, minimal blood loss and speedier recovery times than traditional open surgery.