Before the ceremony, Kathy Vitarelli and her daughter, Hannah Coates, examine the tombstones of various members of the Hopkins family. Johns Hopkins' grave is second from front. PHOTO BY LARRY CANNER

On a crisp Christmas Eve morning, a dedicated band of Johns Hopkins devotees gathered at Green Mount Cemetery to remember the benefactor of the university and hospital that bear his name. Hopkins, who died on Christmas Eve in 1873, was memorialized by Ross Jones, vice president and secretary emeritus of the university, who read excerpts from the lengthy and fascinating obituary that ran in The Baltimore Sun. In what has become a tradition, many attendees marked the occasion by leaving a coin on Hopkins' grave, an act thought to bring good luck in the new year. Among those at the graveside gathering were Stephanie and Howard Reel, Charles Phlegar, Elaine Freeman, Wilson Rugh and Anne Garside.

The $7 million estate left by Hopkins in equal parts to the two institutions was, at the time, the largest philanthropic bequest in U.S. history. Its value today, Jones said, would be about $154 million.

To read the obituary that appeared in The Sun on Dec. 25, 1873, go to www.jhu.edu/~gazette/1999/jan0499/obit.html.

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