Alum leaves tremendous gift to Stritch

According to his children, the late Vincent Galante (MD '43), son of an immigrant Italian newspaper vendor on Chicago's North side, was talked into attending medical school by his elder brother, Charles, an already established physician. Having had a successful career and loving family, Dr. Vincent Galante bequeathed an estate gift of $7.7 million, the largest in the school's history, to Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Like many of his contemporaries, Dr. Galante joined the war effort. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves in 1944 and served as a medical officer and surgeon in Washington D.C., China, Japan, and California. Following his discharge in 1946 with a rank of lieutenant, he interned at St. Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, and did his radiology residency in Louisville, Kentucky, at Nichols Veterans Administration Hospital. "He loved being a radiologist," his daughter-in-law, Angela, says, "and until the day he died, he was up on current procedures and developments in the field."

Dr. Galante and his wife, Marion, settled in Westchester, Illinois, and raised three children while he was on staff at Mother Cabrini and Holy Cross hospitals in Chicago. Later in his career, he earned a degree in and practiced nuclear medicine, becoming chief radiologist at Holy Cross Hospital.

A regular weekly bowler and, after retiring, a bridge player, Dr. Galante also loved beautiful cars. He owned a Jaguar for a time and owned  two Corvettes in the early 60s. But, his children agree that his greatest and enduring passion was medicine. Recalls his son, William, "He always said, 'I was able to go to one of the best medical schools around.' That's why helping Stritch was key for him—he thought the world of Stritch."

Dr. Galante's tremendous generosity comes at an exciting time of growth and investment in the educational and research efforts for the medical school. Discussions are under way for how this tremendous gift can best benefit Stritch and the future of medicine at Loyola University Health System.