CARIBOU, Maine — On Friday, December 20 members of Cary Medical Center’s medical staff dedicated a permanent monument near the entrance to the hospital’s emergency department. The monument, purchased by the medical staff, is in honor of the hospital’s founder Dr. Jefferson Cary.
Dr. Cary was one of the County’s first physicians and at the time of his death in 1912 he donated the majority of his estate for the building of a hospital. Cary Memorial Hospital, opened in 1924, was named in his honor as was the new Cary Medical Center opened in 1978.
The monument features a large bronze plaque with an image of Dr. Cary and words from his will declaring his donation. Carl Flynn, M.D., a family medicine physician at Pines Health Services and Cary Medical Center, said that it was most appropriate to honor the hospital’s founder.
“Dr. Cary’s journey began over a century ago when he arrived in this quiet town with a passion for medicine and a desire to make a difference,” said Flynn, who is the president of the hospital’s medical staff and has served Cary and Pines for more than 30 years. “His unwavering dedication for his patients, and his pioneering spirit transformed this county forever.”
Following remarks from Flynn, Caleb Swanberg, MD, incoming medical staff president, read the inscription on the large plaque affixed to the monument. Some 20 members of the medical staff along with members of the hospital’s senior management team attended the brief ceremony on the crisp December day. The dedication ceremony was followed by a luncheon in the Chan Center. The dedication ceremony was the final event in the celebration of the hospital’s 100th anniversary.
