The Board and Staff of the Foundation for Community Health are greatly saddened by the passing of our beloved friend and highly respected colleague, Dr. John W. "Bill" Gallup, on September 20, 2021.   He was a soft spoken, thoughtful, and brilliant gentleman who as a founding member of our Board helped forge our beginning and continued growth by gracing our board with his service from 2003 to 2012 and again from 2015 until the present.

His dedication to health care in our community was demonstrated throughout his tenure on our board. As an active member of our community, he had an innate sense about what was needed and what would benefit our community. He was a pediatrician who served generations of our children and their families.  As a local resident who lived, raised his family, and retired here, Dr. Gallup actively participated in many community programs and events. His insightful input on our board was invaluable to the success of the foundation’s strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of our residents.

Dr. Gallup lived a life dedicated to improving life for others with meaningful contributions that had a significant impact in the lives of many.  Bill served as a pediatrician in the U.S. Army in Japan from 1957 to 1960 after a year of pediatric residency at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and a year’s rotating internship at the Montreal General Hospital.  Pediatric board certified in 1963, he was a fellow in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital from 1960 to 1962.  Locally, he was on the staff at Sharon Hospital from 1962 to 1992, serving as their Chief of Medical Staff in the 1970s and again in the 1980s.  He retired in 1992, after 30 years of pediatric practice, and then dedicated his time and expertise by sharing his wealth of knowledge on various local non-profit boards including the Taconic Learning Center and the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association where he served a term as President on each.

Dr. Gallup leaves a legacy of caring and working for the good of others and we at the Foundation feel privileged and proud to have known and worked with him.  He will be remembered with great fondness and respect as a dear friend and colleague and for his contributions on behalf of the people living in our area.

“All who knew and met Bill, even briefly, felt his interest, love and concern for them personally as well as for the community as a whole.  He was a kind, thoughtful, and loyal friend and colleague.”    Nancy Heaton, FCH CEO
Reflections:  Dr. "Bill" Gallup