The gift supports residents in the Otolaryngology Residency Program
TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2022) – The University of South Florida today announced a $1 million gift from Mark Lundy, husband of the late USF Health physician Dr. Marion Ridley, which goes toward the fund he established earlier this year in Ridley’s name. The Marion B. Ridley Endowed Resident Fund supports residents in the Otolaryngology Residency Program at the Morsani College of Medicine. Residents can use the fund to pay for special training experiences and equipment.
“Dr. Ridley was an outstanding physician in every sense of the word,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “He cared deeply about his patients, students and residents and left an indelible mark on so many lives.”
Ridley joined USF in 1989 as a professor of otolaryngology (ENT) and the chief of ENT at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. He specialized in the treatment of vocal disorders. Ridley is described as a compassionate physician to his patients, a caring mentor to his students and residents, and a dependable colleague to his fellow physicians and staff.
“You can tell me other doctors loved being a doctor as much as Marion, but you can’t tell me anyone ever loved it more,” said Ridley’s husband, Mark Lundy.
After Ridley’s passing in 2018, Lundy established the Marion B. Ridley Endowed Resident Fund with a gift of $50,000 to both honor his beloved husband and further cement Ridley’s legacy at the university and in the profession. He recently added the $1 million bequest in his estate plan that will greatly increase the impact of the fund.
“This fund continues the incredibly meaningful work Dr. Ridley began during his years at USF Health to provide impactful experiences for our ENT residents,” said Jay Stroman, CEO of the USF Foundation. “We are grateful to Mark for this generous gift that honors the life of Dr. Ridley and supports residents during a formative time in their careers.”
Raised in Jasper, Tennessee, Ridley graduated valedictorian of his high school class. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, then medical school and a surgical residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. He then entered the ENT residency program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he took advantage of the Hopkins ENT resident fund. That fund provided resources for residents to spend on educational materials, travel to conferences and other related expenses.
Throughout his time at USF, Ridley worked to recreate the resident experience he enjoyed so much at Johns Hopkins for the residents at the Morsani College of Medicine. This latest gift to the Marion B. Ridley Endowed Resident Fund will help keep that going for years to come.
“He would be happy that the money we worked hard to acquire in our lifetime, that a portion of it is going back to fund this program he cared so much about,” Lundy stated. “I hope he’ll be remembered for all the work he did, and I think this honors him in the best way I know how.”
To view the full feature story on the USF Newsroom website, click here.
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The University of South Florida, a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.