Dominic F. Tutera, MD
March 31, 1926 to April 6, 1998
Founder’s Day, Monday, April 5
Est. March 31, 1999
By Joe Tutera, CEO, President of Tutera Senior Living & Health Care
It is my honor that on Monday, April 5, the day after Easter, we will celebrate the 22nd Anniversary of Founder’s Day.
While Founder’s Day is a day to share our common values of family, friendship and generosity, inspired by the life of our Founder, Dr. Dominic F. Tutera, it is also a day of reflection for the year that has passed, the years that will follow and the lessons learned. Our life, our happiness, our satisfaction with our work, family and friends, our successes and failures, our contributions to the well-being of others are measured by how we impact the people in our lives and how we view our responsibility toward them.
2020 was a year that tested all of us.
Whether COVID-19 is a consequence of global expansion and our shrinking world, or the miracle of scientific and medical advances that may eliminate the fear of a global catastrophic pandemic forever – is a matter of perspective, but the persistent emotion for most of us in 2020 was fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death, uncertainty of livelihood, the fear of losing our parents or infants – the fear for the future – the fear of the future is dishabituating.
But fear of the unknown, as crippling and real as it may seem, is only a problem if we let it be. This is one of the most valuable lessons our Founder, Dr. Dominic Tutera “Doc” taught us. Attitude – optimism, confidence, faith, belief in doing the right thing will always lead to good things, and doing what is best for others will always lead to personal happiness.
A positive attitude inspires and drives positive outcomes. Your attitude and perceptions are the largest impact on you and others, and positive attitudes are the largest driver of prosperity. It was the elimination of fear and the belief in a better future that relieved the world from poverty, famine and persistent war. It was the belief in the cure for COVID-19 and the desire to return to normal days that kept fear at bay and allowed for optimism. COVID-19 provided an increased appreciation for “normal.” An appreciation for what we had taken for granted: quiet time alone, breakfast, lunch and dinner at home with family, the warm soft hug of your parents, the kiss of a newborn, the smile or smirk of a friend or coworker, the casual visits unscripted by a Zoom call, having a friend deliver a meal to a parent who cannot leave home, a coworker stepping up and helping because they respect you and your shared work community, or, especially, the frequent visits by a community staff member with a resident on behalf of a family member who could not. Doc lived for these acts of compassion – these acts embody Tutera’s Inspired by You and YOUNITE philosophy.
I am so very thankful for each of you. Your contribution in these unprecedented times continues to be essential to the well-being of our residents and our successful return to normal operations. I admire the courageous and dedicated staff of our senior living communities – our heroes who you serve and support 24/7. Their dedication has been and continues to be unwavering. Their sacrifice and compassion in the face of this fear is nothing less than amazing.
Thank you! And have a wonderful Founder’s Day!
Sincerely,
Joe Tutera
CEO, President
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Tutera Senior Living & Health Care, through Doc’s inspiration, has chosen and is committed to caring for our seniors through developing and instilling integrity, commitment and accountability in our company’s culture and relationships.
A Few Words about the History of Founder’s Day.
Founder’s Day is a memorial to our founder Dr. Dominic “Doc” Tutera, my father. It is a day to enjoy time with our family and friends and take a break over the long Easter weekend. It is an opportunity to do something unexpected for others in the spirit of generosity, compassion and care as a tribute to the way Doc lived his life.
Doc started Tutera Group in 1985 while retiring from a 30-year career as an OB-GYN. Being a physician was a way of life, not a career, for Doc. It was a life he loved in every way. It was about daily sacrifice, gladly given in exchange for the reward of serving others in a way only he could. He served above and beyond any standard of integrity, compassion and care expected by others. He lived his life by his rules of conduct, which required taking responsibility for the well-being of others – his patients and their children, and later his residents and employees.
Doc left this legacy to help guide us and honor the company that bears his name. Twenty-three years after his passing, this legacy stands strong and proud of its culture, values and heritage – they are the very values he lived. They are the values that are essential for this company to survive, grow and provide care to thousands of residents and livelihood to thousands of employees and their families.
Doc was a builder – a builder of families, relationships, values, passions, friendships as well as buildings and businesses. Tutera Group continues to grow today, and for that I am certain he would be very pleased. We grow to adapt and survive. We grow not just because we can, or others do, rather because it allows us to realize his vision/our vision. His vision requires that we not only meet the standards set for us by others but also strive to meet the standards we set for ourselves. If you live by those standards as Doc did, you will also make a profound, positive impact in the lives of many.
Doc instilled the same values in his company that he lived by as a physician, father, friend and coworker. Through his work, he was able to bring satisfaction and happiness to many employees, patients and residents, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in profound ways. Through Founder’s Day, we are offering something that might inspire us to make a positive impact in each other’s lives and the lives of others.
Doc was a generous man, and that generosity lives on in each of us and as an organization. We are very grateful for the sacrifice each of you makes to improve the lives of others and to sustain our mission and viability.
