Charles' vision was to utilize innovative technology in caring for patients in a community hospital setting. His son, Eugene, and Eugene's wife, Virginia, sought to fulfill that vision by building a hospital as a living memorial to him.
During the polio epidemic in the 1950s, Eugene and Virginia witnessed firsthand the compassionate, quality health care at Hinsdale Hospital near Chicago. The hospital was part of the healthcare mission of the Seventh-day Adventist church, with hospital officials incorporating Christian values at every level of service.
The Ketterings wanted people in the Dayton area to experience the same extraordinary care. They rallied support from the community and business leaders to raise funds to build the new hospital on the 90-acre Kettering estate. Although the Ketterings were not Adventists, they asked the Seventh-day Adventists to build and operate the hospital because of their admiration for the Adventist healthcare philosophy.
The groundbreaking took place on July 7, 1961. Two years later, the hospital was officially dedicated. On March 3, 1964, the hospital admitted its first patients.
The campus, now known as Kettering Medical Center, grew in size and the variety of services offered. In 1967, Kettering College opened adjacent to the hospital, offering degrees in health science fields.
The same values that guided the Kettering family and the founding hospital leaders endure in today's employees and volunteers at Kettering Medical Center and throughout Kettering Health Network.
Learn more about the Kettering Health Network and Kettering Medical Center.