Bob Pezzulich began his 35-year career at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC)—then Putnam Memorial Hospital—in 1973, having finished his surgical training and been discharged after two years in the Air Force. From that time on, Dr. Pezzulich considered it a privilege to serve the hospital’s patient population as a surgeon and by contributing to SVHC’s governance, including as a Board of Trustees member ex officio.
According to Bob, the hospital’s philosophy remained constant. Its guiding principle was and is today, “what is best for the patient?” This was extremely important to Bob, who never once was asked to modify treatment based on financial criteria.
Throughout the years, Bob enthusiastically and loyally supported patient care with annual donations as well as special gifts to the Patient Resource Fund, Women’s Imaging, Cardiac Patient Care, and the SVHC Auxiliary, among other initiatives.
Now in retirement, Bob and Alice are committed to supporting SVHC with annual and planned gifts. According to Bob, “this helps to ensure that the current and future needs of an incredible healthcare organization are met and that the patient population, to which I devoted my career, continues to be served.”
Dr. Pezzulich has chosen a straightforward bequest to Perioperative Services as the best way to have a lasting impact on his specialty. He is proud to be member of the Henry W. Putnam Circle of legacy donors and enjoys the connection he has to SVHC through his philanthropy.
For this longtime friend and physician, retirement was the right time to take this next step and “it’s great to know that my successors will have resources to provide high quality, accessible care.”