Gratwicks in Buffalo - Table of Contents
Davies Gratwick, 97, family helped
establish Roswell Park
Obituary in The Buffalo News, April 29, 2009
Jan. 22, 1912öMarch 24, 2009
Davies Gratwick, whose family made an early philanthropic gift that helped lead to the development of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, died March 24 in his Eggertsville home. He was 97.
Born in Buffalo, Mr. Gratwick was the second of five children. He attended the Berkshire School, Sheffield, Mass., and Harvard University. After serving in the Merchant Marine during World War II, he spent the remainder of his life managing and maintaining the Gratwick family summer home and rental properties on Lake Joseph in Muskoka, Ont.
Mr. Gratwick was the last remaining grandchild of William Henry Gratwick, a late 19th century titan in the lumber and shipping trades. William Henry Gratwick had been treated for colon cancer by Dr. Roswell Park, a distinguished surgeon and professor of surgery at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine, specializing in cancer treatment.
In gratitude for Parkâs treatment of her husband, Davies Gratwickâs grandmother made a philanthropic gift of $25,000 to Park that helped establish the Gratwick Research Laboratory, the precursor to todayâs Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Both Davies Gratwickâs father and uncle served on the hospitalâs board of trustees, and the familyâs involvement with hospital continues with the Gratwick Family Endowed Fund for Cancer Research.
Mr. Gratwick was an avid tennis player and skier who shared his skill at both pursuits with all of his family.
A memorial service is planned later this month.
