Friends and supporters along with the family of Gary E. Black recently provided $25,000 in donations that will permanently endow the Gary E. Black Memorial Impact Award.  This initiates an annual award within the Lenoir Hospital Foundation to support the cost of continuing education for one non-clinical staff member of UNC Health Lenoir. 

Gary E. Black served as the beloved CEO and President of Lenoir Memorial Hospital, giving 32  years of service to our community hospital. He was respected and loved by his hospital family and the community. 

Under his leadership, the hospital gained a strong fiscal standing and developed many new service lines to meet the needs of the community. Gary was known for a strong relationship with his workforce and greeted employees in every department by name, often checking on the status of their family members especially if he knew an employee needed encouragement. He believed that every employee had a role in the overall success of the organization and particularly enjoyed mentoring and fostering individual excellence. 

Gary retired in 2018 leaving a large positive footprint in the community, the result of having made valuable contributions of time and talent to dozens of community and civic organizations.  

The Gary E. Black Memorial Impact Award connects Gary’s outstanding belief in the growth and development of hospital employees with the opportunity to provide an annual award to support the cost of continuing education for one non-clinical staff member. The memorial award was created in 2023 to memorialize the legacy of Gary Black who died in 2022. 

“The Lenoir Hospital Foundation has several scholarships and awards for hospital employees but this will be our first award specifically seeking non-clinical employees to recognize. This reflects Mr. Black’s belief that every teammate gives strength to the team and we want to help them grow too.”, said Carmon Jones, Foundation Board Chair. “The scope of education targeted in this award will be wide. The gifts making this possible reflect our donor’s generosity and appreciation for Mr. Black’s leadership and what we do here. We are so grateful.” 

The Lenoir Hospital Foundation was established over thirty-five years ago to receive and steward private donations for the purpose of enhancing patient care through support to UNC Health Lenoir. For more information about the Foundation please go to lenoirfoundation.org.