The entrance to the Pavilion will be used for patients coming to Crozer for outpatient services.
Crozer officially opened and dedicated the new Bertram Speare Outpatient Pavilion at an event on Oct. 14.
More than 150 guests joined the Crozer-Chester Foundation to celebrate the completion of this project. The Pavilion was the final stage of an extensive, multi-year project that included the construction of the Upland Avenue Garage and the new Emergency Department. The Pavilion serves as a link between the Emergency Department and the Upland Avenue parking garage. The Pavilion also features a new entrance for patients coming for outpatient service, a spacious new Outpatient Registration area and an information desk. The Pavilion also includes a display recognizing the generous donors who helped make the project a reality, including community members, employees and physicians.
Providing remarks at the event were Rick Bennett, Crozer-Keystone executive vice president and chief operating officer; Walter Farnam, chairman of the Crozer-Keystone Board of Directors; Norman Edmonson, chairman of the Crozer-Keystone Health Services, State Senator Dominic Pileggi. The executives spoke about the importance of the Pavilion, Crozer-Keystone’s continued commitment to providing excellent care and services to the community, and Bertram Speare.
“Today’s occasion gives us an opportunity to pay tribute to our esteemed colleague and friend Bertram Speare, for whom the Outpatient Pavilion is named, and the entire Speare family,” Bennett said at the event. “He would be so proud of this organization, proud of this community and proud of his family as they carry forward with the same passion and vigor to help make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Mr. Speare was a vital presence at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. His connection to Crozer spanned more than three decades. He nurtured relationships with employees, staff, physicians and many other groups. His association with Crozer began as a member of the Board of Directors and continued when he was appointed to the medical center’s executive staff in the mid-’70s. Mr. Speare served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs in charge of public relations, marketing and medical staff issues. He also was the chairman of the Crozer-Chester Foundation and is credited with the growth of the medical center’s development effort.
A Philadelphia native, Speare was raised and educated in Swarthmore, Pa., and was a graduate of Swarthmore High School. A World War II veteran, he received the Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army Armored Infantry Battalion and was honorably discharged in 1946. He then served as president of Speare Brothers Department Store in Chester until its closing in 1973. Mr. Speare was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Foundation, the Nathan Speare Foundation and the Burn Foundation. He was also a member of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and numerous other professional organizations.
Members of the Speare family - including Bertram’s wife, Joan Richards; sons Jon and Reb; their wives Barbara and Virginia, respectively; and granddaughter Megan – were in attendance at the event.