April 26, 1994: Dr. Roscoe R. Robinson,
vice-chancellor for Health Affairs, left, and Chancellor Joe B. Wyatt, right, at the
dedication of the new library with Annette and Irwin Eskind. (Photo by John Howser)
Annette and Irwin Eskind
Annette and Irwin Eskind, for whom the library is named, are generous benefactors of
Vanderbilt University and many civic organizations in the Nashville community. A native
Nashvillian, Irwin Eskind received both his baccalaureate and medical degrees from
Vanderbilt during the 1940s. Following graduation in 1948, he did an internship and
residency at Boston City Hospital and, following his military service, a gastroenterology
fellowship at the Lahey Clinic. While in Boston, he met his wife, the former Annette Schaffer.
Mrs. Eskind holds a B.A. degree from Beaver College in Pennsylvania and a M.S.S.W. from
Boston University.
Well known in Nashville as a community volunteer, advocate for mental
health programs, and philanthropist, Annette is the founder and president of the
Metropolitan Nashville Public Education Foundation and the recipient of many awards.
Dr. Eskind established a successful practice in internal medicine. He also helped start
two successful businesses: Hospital Affiliates International, and Health America Corporation.
In an interview a decade ago Eskind stated that "the companies were just asides," and that
"my number one goal is to do some good for everyone who comes through my office." Dr.
Eskind is now retired and devotes much of his time to Vanderbilt. Explaining his generous
gifts he said "I've always been loyal to the University. I felt I owed something, because
I wouldn't have my medical success without Vanderbilt." The Eskind Library is certainly an
example of the Eskind's generosity and their commitment to the excellence of medical
education at Vanderbilt.
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