Man Donates 12K N95 Masks to Hospital in Honor of His Late Father, Company’s 43rd Anniversary

By Nancy Flory Published on April 2, 2020

A Dallas-area businessman donated 12,000 masks to UT Southwestern Hospital this week in honor of his father, Vernon, who passed away last month, and the 43rd anniversary of the construction business Vernon started in 1977. The masks were given to protect those in the hospital from getting the coronavirus.

Tim Proctor told The Stream he decided to give the masks β€” purchased by Vernon 18 months ago for his business, Mart, Inc. β€” to the hospital because they took good care of his father while he was there. Vernon was diagnosed with liver cancer just weeks before. The hospital staff “helped try to keep him as comfortable as he could be in his last days.” 

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Vernon was a man of integrity and faith. “Everything was about integrity and hard work for my dad. … and [faith] has just been passed down from generation to generation.” At 76 years old, Vernon went on several mission trips, including Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and Japan after the 2011 tsunami. Tim said his dad would’ve agreed with the gift. “I think he would be excited about it. This is the right thing to do.”

Dick Talley and Vernon Proctor.

Blessed

Proctor hopes his gift will be the catalyst for others to give. “We’ve certainly been blessed in our family over the years,” he explained. “If  you’ve been blessed, then now’s the time to step up and try to give those donations for people that are in need.”

Proctor, who has taken over the family business, gave the masks to the hospital Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. “They were very ecstatic and very joyful that they were getting the masks. They were using a thousand masks a day. … This would give them 12 days’ worth. This was the biggest single donation that they’d ever had for this.”

Although Proctor said he’s had more interviews that he ever wanted in a lifetime, it’s been good for him, too. “It helps the grieving process to turn something bad, a death, into something really positive in helping people. And that’s kind of what my dad was about, was helping others when they were down.”

 

Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.

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