William Tyler

How can working closely with your family help ensure that your philanthropy will endure across generations? Read this remarkable story about the legacy of Thomas Thompson and how his visionary generosity continues to shape Northern Dutchess Hospital.

One summer in the early 19th century, Thomas Thompson, a businessman and art collector and his wife, Elizabeth, took a vacation in Rhinebeck, New York. Those weeks proved unforgettable for the Thompsons—and their effect on the community and on Northern Dutchess Hospital (NDH) in particular, has far outlived these forward-thinking philanthropists.

In fact, the Hospital evolved directly from the Thompsons' time in Rhinebeck. The kindness of a seamstress, who helped Thomas when he was vacationing that summer, stayed with him. He was impressed with her work and moved by her motivation: She had five children to feed and worked sunrise to sunset. Reflecting on their experience in both Rhinebeck and Brattleboro, Vermont, Thomas and Elizabeth decided to create a charitable trust "towards the relief and support of poor seamstresses, needle-women and shop girls, who may be in temporary need from want of employment, sickness or misfortune."

Thompson died in 1869 and Elizabeth survived him by three decades; after her death, their assets created the Thompson Trust that supports both Rhinebeck and Brattleboro. The Thompson Trust is now one of the oldest charitable foundations in the country. Only a handful of others, such as the Benjamin Franklin Fund in Philadelphia, existed at the time Thompson put his legacy into action.

Soon after the Trust's creation, the trustees created the Thompson House Community Center, a 14-bed infirmary in Rhinebeck, renamed Northern Dutchess Health Services Center in 1924. The need for a larger facility resulted in a new 34-bed hospital in 1929, made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Thompson Trust. With ongoing support from the Trust, this location grew into today's 84-bed Northern Dutchess Hospital.

At the heart of Thompson's legacy are the trustees who have been guardians of his intentions for more than a century. The trustees through the years have ensured that both the Hospital and community continue to thrive long past the founding vision of Thomas and Elizabeth. For 50 years—until his death earlier this year—trustee William Tyler helped to tether the legacy of the Thompson Trust to the evolving needs of the community, supporting NDH with more than $3 million in grants.

In his 1994 speech at the dedication of the standalone Thompson House skilled nursing facility on the Northern Dutchess Hospital campus, Tyler said: "Because the original trustees, our predecessors, were present at its creation, NDH has always been the Trust's oldest and favorite child in Rhinebeck. …In their wildest dreams, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson could not have conceived what benefactions have been carried out in their names. I will predict that 100 years from now, our descendants will be standing near this site, celebrating yet another beginning…another response by NDH to the ever-changing way our great society elects to take care of its people."

Tyler's daughter, Susan Monahan, is also actively engaged with the Trust. "It has been a pleasure and an honor to follow in my grandfather's and father's footsteps as a trustee of this remarkable foundation," Monahan said.

Tyler and Monahan are role models for sound stewardship, furthering the Thompsons' wishes and legacy of advocacy. In the same way, the Foundations of Nuvance Health honor our donors' future intentions. We can all leave a legacy that will have a lasting impact on our Hospital. Contact Laura Eldridge, CFRE, Senior Director, Major and Planned Gifts, to learn about the charitable giving options that best accomplish your goals.