Leaders in Largesse
The Corrells have created a lasting legacy for Emory's medical school
After receiving care at Emory, philanthropists Pete and Ada Lee Correll have become critical supporters of the School of Medicine.
Bryan Meltz
Emory saved Ada Lee and Pete Correll’s lives, and they invest their time, talent, and money to express their gratitude.
“Corny, but true,” says Ada Lee Correll, who in 1998 had emergency triple-bypass surgery. Eight years later, Pete Correll suffered a heart attack that brought him to Emory.
Ada Lee Correll chaired the drive to fund the new medical school building and led the school’s campaign—part of the larger Campaign Emory—to raise $594 million for research, scholarships, teaching, and programs. The school surpassed its $500 million goal with nearly a year left in the campaign.
Understanding that scholarship support is a critical need for Emory medical students, as it is for college students nationwide, the Corrells established a scholarship fund to defray costs for medical students. Since the Correll Scholarship was first awarded during the 2007―2008 academic year, eleven students have benefitted.
Among them is Sarah Rae Easter 11M, who now is completing a Harvard medical school integrated residency in obstetrics and gynecology. “Getting financial help from the Corrells while I was in med school helped me focus fully on my studies. It reduced my debt load, which meant I could choose a specialty based on my passion instead of based on what would pay the most when I graduated,” says Easter. She plans to pursue a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine to care for moms and babies with high-risk pregnancies.
The Corrells have contributed financially to an array of programs in the school, including making two pledges to Campaign Emory. In 2006, through the Correll Foundation, they established scholarships and four term professorships: The Ada Lee and Pete Correll Teaching Professorship, the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professorship in Emergency Medicine, the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professorship in Biomedical Engineering, and the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professorship in Urology.
In 2011, with a second pledge, they renewed support for the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Professorship in Emergency Medicine.
Nominated by Emory and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Atlanta Chapter, the Corrells received the association’s top philanthropy honor—the Paschal Murray Award for Outstanding Philanthropist—in 2009.
“The results of their work are evident from the boardroom to the emergency room,” says President James Wagner, “and their largesse and compassion affect people everywhere.”
