W. Scott McGraw, far left, receives the Dr. Edward L. Trudeau Award at the Black and White Bow Tie Gala, hosted by the Adirondack Health Foundation. Pictured from left are McGraw; Sylvia Getman, president & CEO of Adirondack Health; Kevin Brady Adirondack Health Foundation board of trustees chair; and Philip Glotzbach, president of Skidmore College. (Photo provided — Adirondack Health)

SARANAC LAKE — At the Adirondack Health Foundation’s Black and White Bow Tie Gala, W. Scott McGraw accepted the Dr. Edward L. Trudeau Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate the qualities of courage, compassion and generosity in their service to Adirondack Health. McGraw was honored as immediate past chair of the Adirondack Health Foundation board of trustees and for leading the Foundation’s Future of Care campaign.

This year’s event, which took place on the evening of Saturday, July 8, raised more than $100,000.

Honorary co-chairs Nancy and Lee Keet welcomed nearly 400 guests under elegant white tents on the Great Lawn at Paul Smith’s College, steps from Lower Saint Regis Lake. The funds raised will be invested in the Future of Care campaign.

“The Adirondack Health Foundation is incredibly fortunate to have attracted Scott’s interest and enthusiasm, and this honor is certainly well-deserved,” said Kevin Brady, chairman of the Foundation’s board of trustees. “Scott’s wisdom, tenacity, humor and humility have gone a long way toward shaping the future of healthcare in the Adirondacks.”

“This year’s Gala Committee, comprised of 38 board members, employees and community members, began planning last November. They worked tirelessly to create an exceptional evening for a very special honoree,” said Hannah Hanford, executive director of the Adirondack Health Foundation. “Thank you from the heart to our volunteers, underwriters and auction donors. Their generosity, and that of those who attended, made this year an extraordinary success. Net proceeds will be directed toward funding two critically important capital projects – a new surgical services department and MRI suite in Saranac Lake and a brand-new Health and Medical Fitness Center in Lake Placid.”

This year marked the 20th annual Adirondack Health Foundation Gala. Generous donations from local businesses and community members made for an extensive silent auction, and exceptional items such as vacation packages and sports tickets had bidders raising their arms during the live auction at dinner. Attendees also enjoyed a short video featuring time-lapse footage of the ongoing construction at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, where the new surgical services wing is being built. Late last month, hospital officials and community leaders broke ground on a second building project — Adirondack Health’s Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center.

McGraw, this year’s Trudeau Award recipient, spent 22 years at CBS television network and ascended to the office of executive vice president of sales and marketing for CBS Sports. More recently, he served as executive vice president and general manager of national advertising sales for the Discovery network.

In his acceptance speech, McGraw announced that total contributions to the Future of Care campaign are “north of $10.5 million, toward our goal of $12 million.” He also noted that more than 600 community members have given to the campaign, and that there has been record-level support from Adirondack Health physicians, nurses and staff.

A resident of Lake Placid and Hobe Sound, Fla., McGraw joined the Adirondack Health Foundation board in 2011. He also serves as the current chair of Skidmore College’s board of trustees.

“Like all good leaders, Scott is versatile,” said McGraw’s longtime friend and Golf Magazine contributor, Gary Galyean. “The expected and the unexpected are both dealt with thoughtfully, and an unharried answer is found and applied. As has been written about other great leaders who possess this rare quality, Scott is like the man who can move the piano and play Tchaikovsky on it, too.”

To learn more or to make a contribution to the Future of Care campaign, visit www.futureofcarecampaign.org.