Philanthropist Joan Diamond, the driving force behind Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center, died Dec. 28. She was 87.
Diamond, who was married to land investor Don Diamond for 64 years, died “peacefully at home surrounded by her family,” said their daughter Helaine Levy.
“The greatest thing that my mother taught me is that family comes first,” Levy said. “She also modeled for me how to be a loving daughter and mother.”
Dr. Fayez Ghishan, professor and head of the UA Department of Pediatrics and physician-in chief of Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center, recalled Joan Diamond’s commitment to the children’s hospital.
“I arrived as director of the (University of Arizona) Steele Children’s Research Center in 1995 and Joan Diamond was one of the founders of the center in 1992,” said Ghishan, who remains director of the research center.
“Joan was the shining light for the vision of how the Steele center would evolve to become one of the top pediatric research centers in the country,” said Ghishan. “Through her vision and financial support she and her husband invested in research labs for lung diseases because their daughter had died of asthma.”
The couple lost their 14-year-old daughter, Deanne, in 1971 after asthma medication damaged her heart, according to a UA Alumni Association article.
Joan and Don Diamond invested in research dedicated to lung injury and established a pulmonary function testing for children who have active disease with asthma, Ghishan said.
Joan’s “major contribution to the center” led the Steele advisory board in the late 1990s to vote her in as a permanent board member for life, Ghishan said.
During board meetings, Ghishan said he presented a vision to establish a children’s hospital and he recalled a “twinkle” in Joan’s eyes and her countless questions because of her deep interest.
Ghishan said it was Joan who persuaded her husband to give a $15 million lead gift for the construction of the children’s hospital. “It would not have happened without Joan Diamond,” said Ghishan, adding that Levy has emerged as the visionary and driving force for the Diamond family in support of the children’s hospital and research center.
The remaining $70 million was raised through philanthropic funding in which the Diamonds also played a role by hosting dinners and asking friends and supporters to contribute money. “This community owes the children’s hospital to Joan,” said Ghishan of the medical center, which opened in 2010 with 116-beds in private rooms.
The children’s medical center in association with Steele research center “represents the only academic children’s hospital in the state,” said Ghishan.
Before Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center, sick children with complications had to be transferred to Los Angeles and Denver. The center now has 82 specialists who serve the Tucson community and the Southwest region.
Kara Snyder, nursing director for pediatrics at the children’s medical center, said word of Joan’s death caused sadness among many at the hospital who witnessed Joan’s commitment to ill children. She said Joan’s work led to Diamond Children’s being able to receive 4,000 annual admissions and treat about 70,000 children as outpatients. “She made a tremendous impact,” Snyder said.
In addition to the medical field, Joan and Don Diamond were instrumental in supporting education, the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Joan also volunteered for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the Angel Charity for Children.
“Joan was a truly authentic person with deeply held convictions; a paragon of elegance whose gentleness belied her strength,” said Stuart Mellan, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona. “Her commitment to our Jewish community, to Tucson, and our world was an inspiration to many. No doubt her family took cues from her sense of obligation to community as the breadth of their philanthropic leadership grew through the years.”
Todd Rockoff, president and chief executive officer of the Tucson Jewish Community Center, said, “Joan was a true lady. Her generosity manifested itself not just in the resources she provided but also in the manner she provided them. Joan was truly kind and had a generosity of spirit that was truly inspiring.”
She was born Joan Brown on Feb. 11, 1929, in Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up in a musical family. Her father played violin and her mother was a concert pianist in Cincinnati. After attending Ferry Hall, a girls’ preparatory boarding school in Lake Forest, Illinois, Joan followed a sister to the University of Arizona. She studied piano and voice in the 1940s, and met Don, who majored in business.
The two married and lived in New York City, where Don worked in the commodities business. In 1965, the Diamond family returned to Tucson and Don, who is chairman and partner of Diamond Ventures, began a career in business and real estate development. They also began their philanthropic work.
Private services were held Dec. 30.
