SPRING 2026

A LABORATORY MAN’S LEGACY: TURNING A LIFETIME IN THE LAB INTO LASTING SUPPORT FOR SMH

Sarasota resident since 1972, retired pathologist Robert (Bob) Spencer, M.D., spent a lifetime building a career rooted in science. His professional journey began with a chemical engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Later he decided to enter medical school and found his calling in pathology. His medical career included residencies at Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama, and military service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before he settled in Sarasota.

Through more than 40 years in practice—including a 42-year tenure as chief of pathology at Sarasota Memorial—the hospital became both a workplace and a trusted institution. Even after retiring more than a decade ago, he maintained deep respect for the organization and its leadership, as well as confidence in its ability to steward philanthropic investments responsibly.

“I wanted to put money into something I know. The laboratory is where I spent my career.”
—BOB SPENCER, M.D.

In recent years, as he evaluated his financial planning and legacy goals, he began establishing endowments with organizations that had shaped his career and life. Practical considerations, including tax planning for his family, played a role.

His most recent endowment gift created the James Robert (Bob) Spencer Clinical Laboratory Services Endowed Fund, which supports clinical laboratory services at SMH—a natural extension of both his professional identity and his long-standing service at the hospital. Although he had always intended to include SMH in his estate plans, he ultimately chose to establish the fund during his lifetime, guided by trusted relationships with SMH and Healthcare Foundation leadership.

Today, his gift stands as both a professional legacy and a personal expression of gratitude—ensuring that the laboratory services that defined his career will continue advancing patient care well into the future.