When Hy Isenbaum was introduced to Mount Sinai Hospital in the 1950s, it was, he said, the start of “a wonderful story.” The young accountant became board treasurer, and in 1986, was named chairman of the board of directors. He remained passionately interested in the Hospital until his death in April, 2008.

The first year of Mr. Isenbaum’s chairmanship was a pivotal time for Mount Sinai. A brand-new research institute had been established, and with renowned scientist Dr. Louis Siminovitch as research director, the facility was poised to attract the best and brightest minds in science.

Mr. Isenbaum knew it would take donor support, and plenty of it. “We’re going to raise $75 million,” he announced. To which, he recalled with great pleasure, the board replied that he was out of his mind. At the time, no Canadian hospital had ever raised more than $25 million.

Hy Isenbaum led the fundraising challenge by securing two significant gifts, one of which saw a new name for the research facility: the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. The campaign not only reached its goal, but almost doubled it.

In almost 50 years of involvement, Mr. Isenbaum witnessed Mount Sinai’s transformation from a small community hospital to an institution renowned for excellence in patient care, teaching and research. He was gratified to see Dr. Kathy Simonovitch, daughter of Dr. Louis Siminovitch, join the Lunenfeld as an Investigator and make headlines for her discovery of a genetic marker for Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, a rare inherited disorder of the immune system.

“I feel as proud as could be that I was a part of it,” said Mr. Isenbaum. “I roamed the Hospital for years. I loved it.”

Through their joint endowment fund, Hy and Myrna Isenbaum have ensured that Hy’s love for the Hospital will endure. “It has been a fun ride,” he said. “To have incredible vision and to fulfill that vision is something else.”  And Hy Isenbaum achieved both.