Patricia Champion Frist (September 28, 1939 – January 5, 2021) was an American businesswoman and philanthropist from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Early life

Patricia Champion Frist was born as Patricia Champion in

Ridgely, Tennessee Ridgely is a town in Lake County, Tennessee, Lake County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,667 at the 2000 census and 1,795 at the 2010 census. Geography Ridgely is located at (36.264559, -89.482668). The town is situated southwes ...

in 1939. She was the daughter of Ogden (Harrington) and Garland Ryals Champion.

Career

Frist served as the President of Frist Capital, an investment firm.Nashvillan elected to Suntrust's board
''Nashville Business Journal'', August 8, 2000 She served on the Board of Directors of

SunTrust Bank SunTrust Banks, Inc. was an American bank holding company with SunTrust Bank as its largest subsidiary and assets of US$199 billion as of March 31, 2018. The bank's most direct corporate parent was established in 1891 in Atlanta, where it was ...

from 2000 to 2010.Frist leaves SunTrust board
''Atlanta Business Chronicle'', September 10, 2010

Philanthropy

She served on the board of trustees of the Frist Foundation.The Frist Foundation: Directors
/ref> Additionally, she served on the boards of directors of the Friends of

Warner Park Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. Warner Park is also the home to the Madison Mallards baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League. Its stadium, nicknamed the "Duck Pond", was ...

. She also served as an honorary trustee of the

Harpeth Hall School Harpeth Hall School is a private, college-preparatory school for girls in Green Hills, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Its beginning dates back to 1865 as a seminary for young ladies. After various mergers and name changes, the antecedent s ...

. The Patricia Champion Frist Hall on the campus of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in Nashville was renamed in her honor in 1998; it houses the School of Nursing.

Political activity

She was a large donor to the Republican Party. In 1997, she donated US$100,000 to the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

.Robert Dreyfuss
Especially Interested: Frist Aid: This senator handles his family company's legislative prescriptions.
''Mother Jones'', May 1, 1997

Personal life

She was married to Thomas F. Frist, Jr., a billionaire who co-founded the

Hospital Corporation of America HCA Healthcare is an American for-profit operator of health care facilities that was founded in 1968. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and, as of May 2020, owns and operates 186 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including sur ...

. They resided in

Belle Meade, Tennessee Belle Meade is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee. Its total land area is , and its population was 2,912 at the time of the 2010 census. Belle Meade operates independently as a city, complete with its own regulations, a city hall, and police f ...

. They had two sons, Thomas F. Frist, III and William R. Frist, and a daughter, Patricia Frist Elcan, who is married to investor Charles A. Elcan.

References

1939 births 2021 deaths People from Belle Meade, Tennessee People from Lake County, Tennessee Businesspeople from Tennessee American corporate directors American bankers Philanthropists from Tennessee Vanderbilt University people SunTrust Banks people Tennessee Republicans Frist family {{US-business-bio-stub