Healthy Bermuda Honouring a Legend “Shorty” Trimingham remembered through gift to BHCT Throughout his 87 years, deForest “Shorty” Trimingham was known as a gentleman who lived his life to the very fullest. Parliamentarian, photographer, and most notably a world-famous yachtsman, his achievements were the stuff of legend long before he succumbed to acute leukemia at his home in Paget in 2007. “Shorty” Trimingham celebrated and enjoyed life till the end. His tenacious love of life motivated his wife, Dorothy, and his daughter, Barrie, to make a gift of $100,000 to the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust (BHCT), and name the oncology waiting room in the new acute care wing in his memory. “My husband used the hospital’s facilities throughout his life and was grateful for the care he received. Barrie and I chose to name the oncology waiting room in his memory because he died of cancer and was cared for frequently at the hospital during his final weeks.” This generous donation will help King Edward VII Memorial Hospital continue to address the diagnosis, treatment recommendations, chemotherapy, support and education needs of individuals with cancer and their families in the new acute care wing. Donations toward BHCT greatly assist with the transformation of the hospital into a revitalised, state-of-the-art medical facility. “Those of us who live in the United States but who have strong ties to the island will benefit enormously from the expansion and improvements to KEMH, and I believe it behooves us to support this cornerstone of Bermuda’s health care system,” says Barrie. Bermuda residents and overseas friends who care deeply about the health care available on island can give through the Bermuda Wellness Foundation. As the American counterpart of the BHCT, the Bermuda Wellness Foundation, a U.S. registered 501(c) 3 charitable organization, supports the hospital’s central health care issues and wellness programmes. For more information, visit www.bermudawellnessfoundation.com. “This extraordinary gift not only reflects the deep generosity of the Trimingham family, but exemplifies the giving character of Shorty himself,” notes Philip Butterfield, chairman of BHCT. “He was known as a man who sought to excel in every endeavour, whether in sailing or in the chambers of Parliament. To this end, his respect for the greater 28 | The Bermudian
good will carry on through the hospital’s care for oncology patients.” Though called “Shorty,” Trimingham was nonetheless bigger than life when it came to his many accomplishments, especially sailing. Born in 1919 into a family of yachtsmen, he embraced Bermuda’s 400-year maritime tradition of wind and sail. “I was very lucky to be born right here in the lap of sailboat racing!” he once remarked. “Thank God I was born into a yachting family!” Trimingham also fulfilled a keen desire to contribute to the public good through government service. From 1958–80, he served as member of Parliament, and from 1972–77, as Bermuda’s minister for tourism. In recognition of his services to Bermuda, he was awarded the CBE by the Queen in 1978. Exemplifying a life well-lived, “Shorty” Trimingham will long be remembered for his exploits on sea and on land. However, his family hopes their gift to KEMH will reveal a new dimension of the man. Says Barrie, “My father cared deeply for his fellow Bermudians and would certainly have strongly supported the hospital’s efforts to provide the best health care for citizens and visitors alike.” www.thebermudian.com