A legacy of service
A legacy of service to country, community, and future generations.
Like many of his contemporaries,
Tom Mahan endured the hardships
of the Great Depression
and proudly served his country
as a Corporal in the Army. After
completing his military service,
he returned to his hometown
of Framingham, Massachusetts,
where he and his wife, Mary,
made their home for the rest of
their lives, and Tom’s honest, hard
work and dexterity made him
a highly sought-after carpenter.
Although Tom had a full and rewarding life, his later years were hampered by visual impairment. For a man who had always worked with his hands, the loss of sight was a cruel blow.
However, Tom never complained but carried this burden with a quiet dignity. Instead he displayed the selfless spirit of service to others that characterized his generation.
In his Last Will and Testament, Tom directed a significant portion of his estate to Schepens Eye
Research Institute, so that future generations may be spared the devastation of blindness.
During Tom’s life, numerous medical advances brought substantial increases in both life expectancy and quality of life. In the field of ophthalmology, for example, surgical techniques
developed at Schepens Eye Research Institute saved the sight of countless people who would have been rendered blind just a few years earlier.
Unfortunately, there remain a number of visual afflictions, such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, for which there is no cure.
Fortunately, there are caring and altruistic individuals, likeTom, who make the ultimate gift,
a bequest in their will, to support Schepens’ dynamic researchefforts to combat blindness.
Over the years, members of the William Wolff Society, such as Tom Mahan, have provided the Institute with critical funding through their estates. This support has allowed us to zealously pursue the next generation of treatments for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and
other blinding diseases. We are honored that Tom Mahan chose to support Schepens in this way,
and are delighted to serve as stewards of his legacy—one that may offer the gift of sight to future generations.
