Remembering Our Founder

The words of Sam Hopkins, a direct
descendant of Johns' eldest brother, are recorded by
WBAL-AM's John Patti for next year's "Christmas in
Maryland" radio special.
Photo by Jay VanRensselaer / HIPS
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In Baltimore's celebrated Green Mount Cemetery, where
the resting spots of many of the city's
illustrious citizens are marked by elaborate tombstones or
mausoleums, the grave of Johns Hopkins is
topped by a simple, unassuming slab of stone saying "He was
the founder of The Johns Hopkins
University and of The Johns Hopkins Hospital." It is here
each year, on the anniversary of his death
on Christmas Eve 1873, that admirers who have benefited
from the bequest of his $7 million estate —
at the time, the largest philanthropic bequest in U.S.
history — gather to reflect on the impact of his
gift.
"The advancement of knowledge for people around the
world began at that time," said Ross
Jones, vice president and secretary emeritus of the
university, who initiated the graveside gathering
in 1973.
Sam Hopkins, a direct descendant of Joseph Hopkins,
Johns' eldest brother, spoke about his
ancestor's legacy and marveled at the biographical
information he had gleaned from Johns Hopkins: A
Silhouette, a book written by Helen Hopkins Thom and
published by the Johns
Hopkins University
Press in 1929. Though long out of print, the book will
be available again through the Press in fall 2008.
GO TO JANUARY 7,
2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GO TO THE GAZETTE
FRONT PAGE.
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