came into being upon the death of Leonard Parker Pool on December 27, 1975. Mr. Pool amassed a financial fortune as founder and long-time chief executive of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. He directed that the Trust be named as a memorial for his first wife, Dorothy Rider Pool, who died of cancer in 1967.

“ During my lifetime I have had an intense interest concerning health care for my fellowman. This interest was first expressed as an active trustee of the Allentown Hospital Association and more recently, as a founder, director, and president of the Allentown and Sacred Heart Hospital Center, Inc. Because of this interest, upon my death, I wish to have the residue of my estate used for the continued provision of health care to the citizens of the Lehigh Valley and others served by the Allentown and Sacred Heart Hospital Center (now Lehigh Valley Hospital).”
— Leonard Parker Pool

Mr. Pool’s specific intent for the Trust was to enable Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) to become “a superior regional hospital” that would provide “superior regional health care for the citizens of the region.” Today, LVH unquestionably exceeds the expectations that almost anyone in the community could have held three decades ago, due largely in part to funding provided from the Trust.

While the Trust welcomes all proposals supportive of its mission, the Trust has designated the following areas as priorities to be addressed …

• Recruitment and retention of outstanding health care providers
• Clinical innovation
• Access to care
• Medical education
• Community health
• Health studies

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