Memory of Grinker Sisters Lives On Through Bequest to Name Medical Center Library

GrinkerAdapted from story by Colleen Farrell, Spring 2014

Anita Klecker, MSLS, the health sciences librarian at Torrance Memorial's Medical Library for the past 35 years, vividly recalls Joyce and Joël Grinker frequently stopping by to conduct research. "They were always very nice and we would make small talk about this or that," Klecker says.

Joyce Grinker, MD, was a long-time internist and neurologist at Torrance Memorial. She passed away in 2003. Her identical twin sister Joël Grinker, PhD, a social psychologist, worked in the laboratory at Rockefeller University in New York with Jules Hirsh, MD, conducting research on human obesity and "emotional eating" that was published in more than 50 publications. He remembers her as "highly skilled, very intelligent and maverick."

Joël often visited Joyce in California from her home state New York and made patient rounds with her at the medical center. Neither of the Grinker sisters married or had children.

Upon Joël's passing in 2010, it was learned her will included Torrance Memorial as one of nine charitable beneficiaries, including six colleges and universities. As the beneficiary of her sister Joyce's estate, the gift of over $380,000 was essentially a bequest from both sisters. The Medical Library located on the first floor of the West Tower is being named to honor their legacy.

Klecker was pleased to learn the Medical Library will soon carry the sisters' names. "It is very meaningful since they actually used the library," she says.

"This charitable bequest reflects the Grinker sisters' dedication to their work and pride in Torrance Memorial," Sandy VandenBerge, director of Planned Giving, says. "The lasting legacy resulting from naming the medical library for them highlights their commitment to research, advancement of medicine, and care for people."