Former SCVF board member David Palmer shares some of his earliest lessons in philanthropy, giving, and stewardship
Some of David Palmer’s earliest lessons in giving came from odd teachers: chickens and venison steaks – the payments his father received for medical care he provided when his patients in northern Minnesota could not afford it.
“I learned concepts of philanthropy and giving and stewardship from my mom and dad,” said David. Along with his wife Marilyn, he has instilled an interest in giving in his children and grandchildren. Even at very young ages, his grandchildren are "foraying into philanthropy," as David puts it, through their involvement with Brownies.
He went to the University of Minnesota (U of M) where he and Marilyn met. The pair married in 1972.
As David recalls, "We got married, I graduated from medical school, and we traveled to Los Angeles, all within 24 hours, to get into my rotating internship at Harbor General Hospital."
They then returned to Minnesota where David completed an orthopedic residency at the U of M, settling in Stillwater. Along with co-founder Bob Meisterling, David opened an independent practice in Stillwater. They grew the practice, eventually opening locations up and down the St. Croix Valley in both Minnesota and Wisconsin, including River Falls, Hudson, Amery, Forest Lake, Chisago City, Maplewood, and Woodbury. In his 42-year career, David estimates he completed around 20,000 orthopedic procedures.
Before retiring, David also took his expertise abroad, volunteering on medical missions in Bhutan, Tanzania, and Afghanistan, leaving the latter just two weeks before the Taliban took control. Behind the work of orthopedic surgery, David is largely motivated by his love for people; and in its most simple form, the Greek word philanthropia simply meant "love for mankind."
"It's joyful work to be able to improve people's situations, the residents of St. Croix Valley, and work for equitable solutions," said David. "I think philanthropy in general is something that you're blessed if you give, and you don't remember what you give down the road. So, you do receive more than you give, which I have found over time."
The committed Rotarian and community volunteer is also a former St. Croix Valley Foundation (SCVF) board member. During his tenure on the board, SCVF campaigned to build an unrestricted endowment fund, which is a permanent fund meant to provide flexible funding when and where it's needed most.
"It is kind of a hard sell to tell people that the funds are for unknown emergencies," David recalled, "but it was exactly at the right time when we finished that campaign, because COVID hit this area. So, SCVF got good marks for being able to pivot quickly to give relief to people, either with housing or food or transportation."
David is also a generous donor to SCVF (including to the endowment campaign he helped lead) and co-founder of the endowed Palmer-Rathert Medical Scholarship. In the nearly 20 years since the fund was established, it has provided generations of students with a significant financial boost through medical school.
“I think philanthropy is largely an osmosis kind of thing from your family, mentors or teachers,” said David. “It’s also a learned experience and once you start doing it, you want to do more to your ability. I think the world would be a lot better off if we were all of that mind.”
To learn more about your philanthropic options through SCVF, contact President and CEO Heather Logelin today at hloeglin@scvfoundation.org or 715-386-9490.
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