Vermont SCR 5: Senate concurrent resolution honoring Ralph Pace of Ludlow for his community leadership and public service.

Bill Text

R-171 Page 1 of 1
2025

VT LEG #383761 v.1
No. R-171. Senate concurrent resolution commemorating the centennial of Porter
Medical Center in Middlebury.
(S.C.R.5)
Offered by Senators Hardy and Heffernan,
Offered by Representatives Birong of Vergennes, Conlon of Cornwall, Cordes of
Bristol, McGill of Bridport, North of Ferrisburgh, Olson of Starksboro, Scheu of
Middlebury and Sheldon of Middlebury,
Whereas, in reviewing the Middlebury College Archives and the records of Porter
Medical Center, one discovers that in 1923, Middlebury College Trustee and banker
William Henry Porter donated $118,000.00 to the College to build a hospital “for the use
of the College and of the people of Addison County” on the tract of land where the family
farm of his youth was located, and
Whereas, on June 15, 1925, Porter Hospital, which was “fireproof and well equipped
and appointed in every respect,” opened as a health care facility able to treat “any cases of
illness which may arise,” and
Whereas, with a mission “to improve the health of our community, one person at a
time,” and now known as Porter Medical Center, the story of its century of attending to the
medical needs of Addison County residents, visitors, and Middlebury College students
epitomizes the historic and contemporary importance of Vermont’s small rural hospitals,
and
Whereas, an important institutional milestone occurred in 1970 when the Helen Porter
Home, now Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing, named in memory of the daughter of
Esther Jackson and William Henry Porter, first offered residential nursing care, and
Whereas, the leadership of Porter Medical Center recognizes that the hospital’s medical
and administrative staff, volunteers, and community partners are all integral to the
successful fulfillment of its mission, especially during emergency situations, as
exemplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
Whereas, in 2025, as Porter Medical Center marks 100 years of providing outstanding
health care services in Addison County, the hospital, now a member of the University of
Vermont Health Network, has evolved into a modern medical complex, featuring 25 acute
care beds; a 105-bed comprehensive skilled nursing facility; a full-service birthing center;
plus emergency, infusion, surgical, and urgent care services, and it serves as the home for
an exemplary network of primary and specialty care physicians, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly commemorates the centennial of Porter Medical Center in
Middlebury, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Porter Medical Center.