Ann is one of two living original Trustees. She lives in Aspen, Colorado, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ann is from St. Louis, Michigan.
Her Dad was a doctor in St. Louis, Dr. Wilson.
Ann earned a degree in Public Health at U of M.
She married Sidney Smock, who, after his residency in anesthesiology, practiced in Midland at Midland Hospital. Sid passed away in 2012; Ann later re-married to Richard Moebius, Ann Smock Moebius).
Ann shared the following via email:
Midland is a very special community which has always demonstrated leadership in a wide range of public and private enterprises that have benefited society locally, nationally, and internationally. When my husband, Sidney N. Smock, M.D., and I moved from Midland 40 years ago, we carried with us that spirit and collectively made commitments to share our time, talents, and financial gifts to benefit worthwhile causes. We lived for decades in each: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Scottsdale, Arizona; and ultimately retired in the Aspen, Colorado community. In each locale, both Dr. Smock and I together supported the Arts (especially music and theater), Environmental causes, and, probably most dear to our hearts, we used our professional skills to aid and improve health care for all. In all of our philanthropic activity, we really considered ourselves a “team.”
A few Examples of our heartfelt efforts:
While in Ann Arbor, I completed a master’s Degree in Public Health Education/Administration while Dr. Smock served as Director of Emergency Services at University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Smock became involved with colleagues nationwide to promote and establish the specialty/residency in Emergency Medicine, which has resulted in top-quality “first response” care and triage in Emergency Rooms nationally and internationally. In Dr. Smock’s research At the University of Michigan, he determined that on-site treatment of pulseless patients with shock therapy saved lives. His theories and writings subsequently led to the development of the AED device, which is used by medical response teams—and even bystanders in public places, literally globally—to revive heart attack/heart event patients. When we moved to Arizona in the late 1970s, the outpatient surgery concept was being tested in Phoenix. Dr. Smock became involved in establishing a freestanding outpatient surgery center in Scottsdale. He also began promoting the idea of freestanding urgent care centers, Which would be available to people who had no primary care physician or were traveling—and which care costs the medical care system far less than service in hospital emergency room care.
In my own advocacy for better health care, in each community where we have lived, I promoted written instruction for patients when they both entered and exited healthcare venues. In my lifetime, I have seen this concept become standard in medical care. As a consultant in Arizona, I worked with the Arizona State Senate to establish their own version of Medicaid (called ACCESS) to enable the state to qualify for Federal matching funds. I volunteered in Phoenix at St. Mary’s Food Bank in its early/formative days; today, it is operated at the highest level of a business model, serving a widespread community. it was an exceptionally important asset during the recent COVID pandemic. We have continued to extend financial gifts to St. Mary’s as well as to food banks in the Western Colorado area. Another passion of mine has been to support an organization in Western Colorado which advocates for and shelters women and children who have been subjected to domestic abuse.
I choose to share this information in the hopes that it might stir others to see that their philanthropic actions, over a lifetime, large or small, do make a difference. And I know it was the intent of those of us who initiated the Midland Area Community Foundation to energize people to act collectively and individually for the greater good for all.
With gratitude and best wishes to those who are continuing the exceptional work of MACF,
Ann Smock