Cincinnati Children’s Improves Lives, Patient Gives Back

In 1925, Roberta Evans Larrick entered the world prematurely. Small and frail, she grew to have the drive and intelligence to sit confidently among military personnel twice her size, thanks in part to the care she received at Cincinnati Children’s.

When Roberta started to walk, her parents, Clarence and Wilma, noticed she had trouble keeping her balance. In the small Appalachian county where they lived, there were no specialists to help her, but by 1935 her parents knew they had to do more.

Clarence and Wilma brought their tiny girl to Cincinnati Children’s for evaluation. She had orthopaedic surgery to correct her hip, which was misaligned due to a curved spine. Although she was confined to a body cast for six months, Roberta was able to continue her education, something that was always a priority for her.

Roberta went on to complete a business program and moved to Dayton, Ohio, looking for professional opportunities.

She soon found work as a typist and stenographer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Roberta continued to advance and became a military supply officer with the highest security clearance afforded to any civilian. When she retired, her civil service rating was equivalent to the rating of an Air Force Colonel.

During her career, Roberta took measures to provide for her retirement, including investing in stocks. She learned all she could about investing when her division supervisors at Wright-Patterson were interested in dabbling in the stock market and asked her to learn more about it.

Roberta was able to live a successful, independent life that might not have been possible without Cincinnati Children’s. When it came time to make her estate plan, Roberta didn’t forget the help Cincinnati Children’s gave her. She made plans in her will to benefit the Crawford Spine Center at the medical center. The support she will provide to the medical center through her estate will help others who need the type of care she received from the orthopaedic division.

Leeann Denning, Roberta’s niece, grew up in amazement of her aunt. “She was a strong woman who made the most out of what she was given and never asked for concessions. She hopes making this gift will help others live an extraordinary life as well.”