Clark and Nancy Giles honored for generosity
SALT LAKE CITY — The love and devotion Clark and Nancy Giles have for each other has, for years, created a ripple effect that has benefited individuals, organizations, agencies, and the community at large. The Gileses were honored April 25 at Christus St. Joseph Villa’s 17th annual Hope Benefit at Little America Hotel.
The Hope Benefit, an annual fund raiser for Christus St. Joseph Villa’s (CSJV) Charity Care fund, honors outstanding members of the community with the Continuum of Caring Award, recognizing their gifts and accomplishments. The event, organized and hosted by The Friends of St. Joseph Villa, includes a silent auction and a dinner followed by a live auction. This year’s benefactors include the Jon and Karen Huntsman Family and The Houston-based Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
In selecting Clark and Nancy Giles as their honorees this year, the Friends of St. Joseph Villa recognized a couple whose generosity of time, talent, and treasure has benefited the University of Utah, the Girl Scouts of America, the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Christus St.Joseph Villa, Catholic Community Services of Utah, Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and many other organizations and agencies throughout the community. Together and separately, Clark and Nancy Giles have served on many boards, committees, and task forces that have served dozens of
beneficial causes.
Hope Benefit Masters of Ceremony Pamela Atkinson and Steve Brown opened the evening by welcoming the more than 150 participants. Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, offered the invocation. Recalling his long professional association with Nancy Giles, Msgr. Fitzgerald said Nancy learned her compassion from her mother, Marion Lipman, whom Msgr. Fitzgerald came to know when she served as head of the foster care program at Catholic Community Service.
"Marion Lipman was deeply committed," he said. "She passed that caring and commitment on to Nancy, and Nancy and Clark have served as models for all of us. We read their names in the hearts of many people, and they also are symbols of many of you and the generosity you express throughout the community.
"I pray that God continues to bless Clark and Nancy and continues to bless Christus St. Joseph Villa for many years to come."
A video presentation by Sawtooth Productions traced the Gileses history from the early years, as they were growing up together, through their college years, with Clark attending the Harvard School of Law and Nancy attending Utah State University, to their falling in love and their marriage in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
Friends and professional associates spoke of their generosity and their involvement in the church and the community throughout their lives together. They spoke of Nancy Giles involvement in the Girl Scouts of America and in sports, learning leadership along the way, and Clark’s career as a lawyer with Ray Quinney & Nebeker, Allan Lipman, Nancy’s brother, spoke of the double dates he and his wife, Kay, used to go on with Clark and Nancy, and the anticipation they had, looking forward to Clark’s proposal of marriage to Nancy.
Although Clark and Nancy planned a beautiful spring wedding in April, the surprises of Utah weather had them saying their vows during one of the worst snow storms in Utah history.
Retired Judge Stephen Anderson called Clark Giles "one of the six wise men of the Ray Quinney & Nebeker firm," and added that whether Clark was setting up an estate for a wealthy family or looking out for the needs of a widow, he treats everyone with the same dignity and respect. "That is the rule that governed Clark’s foundations for charitable giving."
Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, recalled Nancy Giles’ service on the Catholic Foundation of Utah Board of Directors.
"She was on that board when I came into the diocese in 1995, and she gently guided me and taught me what I needed to know to support and lead the Foundation through my 11 years in the diocese."
Archbishop Niederauer called Nancy Giles "the consummate volunteer."
Nancy was credited with setting up endowments for the University of Utah School of Nursing in the name of her mother. Those endowments earned Nancy Giles the University’s "Vision Award."
Rev. Rick Lawson of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church recalled both Clark’s and Nancy’s dedication and "selfless giving" to Christus St. Joseph Villa, saying the two have never said no to anyone’s request for service. Clark’s own mantra, he said, is "do a better job."
Clark and Nancy have both served on the Cathedral Preservation Board.
The Gileses have a fine sense of play, whether while boating on Lake Powell, skiing, or playing golf or tennis, they balance their lives with leisure, and often participate in charitable tournaments.
"The Gileses deserve the label of the constant compass," said Judge Anderson. "They always point to true north. Nancy and Clark seem to be able to be everywhere, and there have been many projects that would not have happened without their outreach and their
helping hands."
The Continuum of Caring Award was presented to Clark and Nancy Giles by Galen Ewer and Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word Stephen Guiry.
Ewer, CEO and administrator of CSJV, thanked everyone in attendance for helping the Villa honor Clark and Nancy Giles. He especially thanked the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, who have provided quality health care in the community since they were invited to come here almost 60 years ago by Bishop Duane G. Hunt.
"The Charity Care fund, which is the beneficiary of this event, helps us keep our commitment that no one who becomes a member of the Christus St. Joseph Villa family will ever be turned away due to lack of funds," Ewer said. "Last year, the Villa provided more than $1 million in charity care or reduced fees for services. Nancy and Clark Giles have been an important part of that effort."
Ewer spoke briefly about the Villa’s capital campaign, led by the Gileses and Spence Eccles, to provide for the Villa’s Independent Living Center, and he mentioned the upcoming capital campaign to again expand services at the Villa
"I hope the Villa continues to set the standard for quality care in the community," Ewer said.
The award presentation was followed by a live auction.
The Hope Benefit annually raises about $150,000 for the Villa’s Charity Care Fund.
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