Former Piano Teacher Donates $6M to UR Eye Institute

Adeline Lutz

For Adeline Lutz – an 82-year-old, long-time Greece resident who used to teach piano – the past 22 years have been a lesson in the value of sight and the need for individuals to have access to the best vision care possible.

Adeline and her late husband, Walter “Jack” Lutz (who worked as an engineer at Kodak), led an active, full life. They traveled, played tennis together often, enjoyed their home, and spent more than 50 joyful years as best friends.

But in 1987, Adeline began having vision problems. Since that time she has undergone a series of surgeries at the Flaum Eye Institute – 13 operations that included two corneal transplants and the repair of two macular holes on her retina. Adeline’s primary ophthalmologist, corneal surgeon Steven Ching, M.D., became a driving force in her vision care; he also became a close friend.

Because of her relationship with Ching and the entire staff at the Eye Institute, Adeline and Jack decided to donate their life savings – an impressive $6 million – to the Institute. The gift will help the Eye Institute further its missions to provide leading-edge eye care and become a major national center for eye care, ophthalmic research, education, and technology transfer.

“They are all like family to me and I credit Dr. Ching with saving my sight,” Adeline said. “Jack and I wanted to repay him and everyone at the Eye Institute for their dedication and kindness and ensure that future patients continue to get the very best, the very newest, treatments.”

This significant gift is an illustration of the power of University of Rochester faculty to use patient care and research to make an extraordinary impact on patients’ lives, said University of Rochester President Joel Seligman. “The entire university is grateful to Mrs. Lutz and her husband for recognizing our world-class vision experts and seeing an opportunity to further support the Eye Institute so that it can assist more individuals in the future.”

Adeline admits that most in the community will be shocked to learn that she and Jack had such substantial savings. She acknowledges they lived a quiet life, which was what made them most happy. Adeline has always clipped coupons and has driven the same car since the early 1980s. It was Adeline who handled the couple's money from the very first week of their marriage, and she enjoyed investing in the stock market.

“It just slowly added up over time,” she said modestly.

She has directed the gift to be used for whatever initiatives will move the Eye Institute forward in patient care and research. Additionally, the Adeline P. Lutz Pavilion will be named in her honor this fall, placing her name on the front of the building that houses the Eye Institute.

“My husband wanted it to be in my name only, since I went through all the surgeries,” Adeline said. “He was such a sweet and generous man – I could never have gone through all of it without him. This gift is a tribute to him, as well.”

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