Daughter of Mary Ann & Bernie Powell. She passed away at an early age from breast cancer.
In the hallway of Powell's sprawling Belleair Shore home hang a cluster of photos of a wavy-haired brunette, with sculptured features and sparkling eyes. It's a shrine to one of Powell's daughters, Christy Powell Higgins, who died of breast cancer in 1981 at age 35.
"She was so sweet and so good and so pretty," Powell said, his eyes glassy. "Oh God. It was so tough for us."
In the years following her death, Powell and his wife, Mary Ann, honored Christy by donating thousands of dollars in her name to Morton Plant Hospital.
Then, in 1991, a year after selling the Biltmore, Powell memorialized Christy on a grander scale.
In the boardroom of Morton Plant Hospital, Powell rose and addressed members of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation. In his usual careful but strong voice, he explained his deep interest in cancer care.
His daughter Christy, who had lived in California with her husband and two sons, had battled breast cancer, he related. During her treatment, she organized a program providing emotional support and education for cancer victims. She devoted herself to it until she lost her own battle, Powell said.
Powell then startled the board members. He announced he would donate $1-million to Morton Plant to build a cancer center in Christy's name. And he made it clear: He wanted the complex to offer a program like the one Christy so admired.
"There wasn't anybody in my heart like Christy was. And that's why I did that," Powell said. At the time, Powell's cash gift was the largest received by Morton Plant by a living donor. "It was the equivalent of Bill Gates saying, "I'm going to give away my fortune;' He felt so passionate about helping our hospital," said Dr. Paul Phillips, a cardiologist who now chairs the foundation. "It raised the bar for philanthropy in our county and in Florida."
The Powell Cancer Center, which opened in 1995, is a treatment center providing counseling and support for cancer patients and their families. The complex received a major boost from local philanthropist Carroll Cheek, who also lost a daughter to breast cancer. He donated $1.4-million to create within the facility the Susan Cheek Needler Breast Care Center.
In 1996, Powell and Cheek teamed again, donating more than $3-million to create the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion at Morton Plant.
TBT.COM
August 14, 2005
In the hallway of Powell's sprawling Belleair Shore home hang a cluster of photos of a wavy-haired brunette, with sculptured features and sparkling eyes. It's a shrine to one of Powell's daughters, Christy Powell Higgins, who died of breast cancer in 1981 at age 35.
"She was so sweet and so good and so pretty," Powell said, his eyes glassy. "Oh God. It was so tough for us."
In the years following her death, Powell and his wife, Mary Ann, honored Christy by donating thousands of dollars in her name to Morton Plant Hospital.
Then, in 1991, a year after selling the Biltmore, Powell memorialized Christy on a grander scale.
In the boardroom of Morton Plant Hospital, Powell rose and addressed members of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation. In his usual careful but strong voice, he explained his deep interest in cancer care.
His daughter Christy, who had lived in California with her husband and two sons, had battled breast cancer, he related. During her treatment, she organized a program providing emotional support and education for cancer victims. She devoted herself to it until she lost her own battle, Powell said.
Powell then startled the board members. He announced he would donate $1-million to Morton Plant to build a cancer center in Christy's name. And he made it clear: He wanted the complex to offer a program like the one Christy so admired.
"There wasn't anybody in my heart like Christy was. And that's why I did that," Powell said. At the time, Powell's cash gift was the largest received by Morton Plant by a living donor. "It was the equivalent of Bill Gates saying, "I'm going to give away my fortune;' He felt so passionate about helping our hospital," said Dr. Paul Phillips, a cardiologist who now chairs the foundation. "It raised the bar for philanthropy in our county and in Florida."
The Powell Cancer Center, which opened in 1995, is a treatment center providing counseling and support for cancer patients and their families. The complex received a major boost from local philanthropist Carroll Cheek, who also lost a daughter to breast cancer. He donated $1.4-million to create within the facility the Susan Cheek Needler Breast Care Center.
In 1996, Powell and Cheek teamed again, donating more than $3-million to create the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion at Morton Plant.
TBT.COM
August 14, 2005
Daughter of Mary Ann & Bernie Powell. She passed away at an early age from breast cancer.
In the hallway of Powell's sprawling Belleair Shore home hang a cluster of photos of a wavy-haired brunette, with sculptured features and sparkling eyes. It's a shrine to one of Powell's daughters, Christy Powell Higgins, who died of breast cancer in 1981 at age 35.
"She was so sweet and so good and so pretty," Powell said, his eyes glassy. "Oh God. It was so tough for us."
In the years following her death, Powell and his wife, Mary Ann, honored Christy by donating thousands of dollars in her name to Morton Plant Hospital.
Then, in 1991, a year after selling the Biltmore, Powell memorialized Christy on a grander scale.
In the boardroom of Morton Plant Hospital, Powell rose and addressed members of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation. In his usual careful but strong voice, he explained his deep interest in cancer care.
His daughter Christy, who had lived in California with her husband and two sons, had battled breast cancer, he related. During her treatment, she organized a program providing emotional support and education for cancer victims. She devoted herself to it until she lost her own battle, Powell said.
Powell then startled the board members. He announced he would donate $1-million to Morton Plant to build a cancer center in Christy's name. And he made it clear: He wanted the complex to offer a program like the one Christy so admired.
"There wasn't anybody in my heart like Christy was. And that's why I did that," Powell said. At the time, Powell's cash gift was the largest received by Morton Plant by a living donor. "It was the equivalent of Bill Gates saying, "I'm going to give away my fortune;' He felt so passionate about helping our hospital," said Dr. Paul Phillips, a cardiologist who now chairs the foundation. "It raised the bar for philanthropy in our county and in Florida."
The Powell Cancer Center, which opened in 1995, is a treatment center providing counseling and support for cancer patients and their families. The complex received a major boost from local philanthropist Carroll Cheek, who also lost a daughter to breast cancer. He donated $1.4-million to create within the facility the Susan Cheek Needler Breast Care Center.
In 1996, Powell and Cheek teamed again, donating more than $3-million to create the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion at Morton Plant.
TBT.COM
August 14, 2005
In the hallway of Powell's sprawling Belleair Shore home hang a cluster of photos of a wavy-haired brunette, with sculptured features and sparkling eyes. It's a shrine to one of Powell's daughters, Christy Powell Higgins, who died of breast cancer in 1981 at age 35.
"She was so sweet and so good and so pretty," Powell said, his eyes glassy. "Oh God. It was so tough for us."
In the years following her death, Powell and his wife, Mary Ann, honored Christy by donating thousands of dollars in her name to Morton Plant Hospital.
Then, in 1991, a year after selling the Biltmore, Powell memorialized Christy on a grander scale.
In the boardroom of Morton Plant Hospital, Powell rose and addressed members of the Morton Plant Mease Foundation. In his usual careful but strong voice, he explained his deep interest in cancer care.
His daughter Christy, who had lived in California with her husband and two sons, had battled breast cancer, he related. During her treatment, she organized a program providing emotional support and education for cancer victims. She devoted herself to it until she lost her own battle, Powell said.
Powell then startled the board members. He announced he would donate $1-million to Morton Plant to build a cancer center in Christy's name. And he made it clear: He wanted the complex to offer a program like the one Christy so admired.
"There wasn't anybody in my heart like Christy was. And that's why I did that," Powell said. At the time, Powell's cash gift was the largest received by Morton Plant by a living donor. "It was the equivalent of Bill Gates saying, "I'm going to give away my fortune;' He felt so passionate about helping our hospital," said Dr. Paul Phillips, a cardiologist who now chairs the foundation. "It raised the bar for philanthropy in our county and in Florida."
The Powell Cancer Center, which opened in 1995, is a treatment center providing counseling and support for cancer patients and their families. The complex received a major boost from local philanthropist Carroll Cheek, who also lost a daughter to breast cancer. He donated $1.4-million to create within the facility the Susan Cheek Needler Breast Care Center.
In 1996, Powell and Cheek teamed again, donating more than $3-million to create the Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion at Morton Plant.
TBT.COM
August 14, 2005
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