NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dr. Irwin B. Eskind, a retired Nashville physician
and philanthropist and a strong supporter of Vanderbilt University and
the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine for more than a half
century, died March 28 at his home in Nashville. He was 80.
Through Dr. Eskind‘s generosity, the Annette and Irwin Eskind
Biomedical Library, which houses Vanderbilt University Medical Center‘s
information services and resources, opened in 1994, and the
Vanderbilt-Eskind Diabetes Clinic will open this summer.
Dr. Eskind, clinical professor of medicine, emeritus, at Vanderbilt,
was a 1945 graduate of Vanderbilt University and a 1948 graduate of the
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He served a residency in
internal medicine at Boston City Hospital from 1948 to 1951 then
completed his residency training at Vanderbilt in 1951. He served in
the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1951 to 1953 and was a fellow in
gastroenterology at the Lahey Clinic in Boston from 1953 to 1954.
He remained part of the Vanderbilt community after he began practicing
medicine in Nashville in 1954. Working on the staffs of Vanderbilt and
Saint Thomas hospitals, he not only supported the clinical teaching
programs of Vanderbilt‘s students and residents, but he also devoted
enormous personal effort to enhancing the resources of the university
and medical center.
“Irwin Eskind was a great citizen of this community and of Vanderbilt
University,” said Chancellor Gordon Gee. “He was a tireless and
gracious advocate for excellence in all that we do. Irwin‘s was the
first voice for progress and the last word for compassion. Together
with Annette, their generosity elevated everyone and everything around
them and will be felt for generations to come. As Chancellor, I was
privileged to benefit from his deep wisdom. But more importantly,
Constance and I will miss a dear friend who touched our lives in a very
special way.”
At Vanderbilt, Dr. Eskind supported the medical and nursing schools,
the Blair School of Music, the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy
Studies and the university as a whole. He was a longtime member of both
the Vanderbilt Board of Trust, serving as a member of the Executive,
Budget and Hospital committees, and the Medical Center board. At
Vanderbilt, his generosity made him a lifetime member of the Canby
Robinson Society, where he served as president, the Friends of Blair,
the Friends of the Library and the Nursing School‘s Julia Hereford
Society. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Campaign for
Vanderbilt.
“Generosity among medical school alumni and donors is certainly not
uncommon at Vanderbilt Medical Center, but if I made a list, Irwin and
Annette Eskind‘s names would certainly be at the top,” said Dr. Harry
R. Jacobson, vice chancellor for health affairs at VUMC. “Irwin made
Vanderbilt Medical School and this medical center a priority in his
life. His kindness and thoughtfulness will be missed, but his
fingerprints on this institution will last for years to come.”
Dr. Steven G. Gabbe, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of
Medicine, had two things in common with Dr. Eskind — a love of the
medical school and a life with diabetes. They became close friends when
Gabbe came to Vanderbilt in 2001.
“He looked at diabetes every day, stared it down and went on with his
life. He was an inspiration to all of us,” Gabbe said. “He was also a
wonderful friend. Irwin and Annette Eskind are two of the most
remarkable people I have ever met. Irwin was a strong person, with a
strong personality. He was a caring physician who made a huge
difference in people‘s lives.”
A former president of Hospital Affiliates International, Inc., Dr.
Eskind was a co-founder of Hospital Affiliates, HealthAmerica and
ClinTrials International. He also had a strong volunteer presence in
the community, serving as president of both the Middle Tennessee
Diabetes Association and the Temple Congregation Ohabai Shalom and on
the boards of the WPLN Foundation, the Nashville Jewish Federation and
the Jewish Philanthropic Fund.
Dr. Eskind is survived by his wife, Annette, and sons, Dr. Steven J.
Eskind and Dr. Jeffrey B. Eskind, both of
Nashville.
A service will be held March 31 at 11 a.m. at The Temple, Congregation
Ohabai Shalom, 5015 Harding Road, Nashville. Donations may be made to
the Vanderbilt-Eskind Diabetes Clinic, VU Gift Processing, Box 357727,
Station B, 2301 Vanderbilt Place, Nashville, Tenn., 37235.
Media contact: Nancy Humphrey, (615) 322-4747
nancy.humphrey@vanderbilt.edu