Among the Eskind family’s many contributions were the establishment of the comprehensive Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic and the Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.

Recently, he attended the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the School of Medicine, proud to be its oldest returning alumnus.

The J. Kenneth Jacobs Fellowship in Surgery was established in Dr. Jacobs’ honor to support surgical residents during their laboratory years.

During his 20-year career at VUMC, he developed the Vanderbilt Small Bowel Center and was a leader in endoscopic innovation.

Mr. Ayers and his wife, Janet, have been a major philanthropic force in all of Tennessee.

He and his wife, Patricia Ingram Hart, who died in 2022, endowed multiple chairs across the School of Medicine and Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

She served in a number of leadership roles, including evening hospital administrator and assistant hospital director for VUH. She was an administrative director for several areas, including LifeFlight and the Burn Patient Care Center, and helped guide the creation of VUH’s dedicated Trauma Intensive Care Unit.