Mary Elizabeth Groff (1907-1995) graduated from Cornell University in 1929, and from The University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1932. A Philadelphia native and longtime resident of the city, an accomplished attorney and committed philanthropist, Miss Groff led by example, and bequeathed the entirety of her estate to charitable interests.​

 

In 1997, The Robert A. Groff Chair of Neurosurgery at The University of Pennsylvania was established to honor her late brother, Robert A. Groff, MD (1903–1975).  Dr. Groff graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1925 and from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1928.  During World War II, Dr. Groff served with the 20th General Hospital, the major military hospital organized and run by The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to provide medical care for the American, British, and Chinese forces in Northeastern India.  Dr. Groff returned to Philadelphia after the war, where he joined the faculty at Graduate Hospital, and was named Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in 1955.  Dr. Groff was named Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1957, and in 1973 Dr. Groff was granted emeritus status.  For more information please visit their website: https://www.med.upenn.edu/endowedprofessorships/robert-a.-groff,-md-teaching-and-research-chair-of-neurosurgery.html.

 

In 1997, an endowment was established at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.  Founded in 1787, The College is one of the oldest professional medical organizations in the United States. The College provides medical professionals and the general public a place to learn about medicine as both a science and an art.   For more information please visit their website: https://www.collegeofphysicians.org.

 

Also in 1997, The Mary E. Groff Charitable Trust was formed. The Trust is a private grant-making foundation that provides funding for medical science, research and education.  Applications for grants supporting Philadelphia-based initiatives, military veterans, and in the specialty fields of neurology, neurosurgery and neuroscience are encouraged.