Through a generous estate gift, the late Dr. James Kane Sr. and Gloria D’Ambrosio Kane continue to seek the potential in healthcare workers and encourage them to advance their educations, develop their gifts and enhance the joy of helping others.
Drs. Mary Kane and James Kane Jr. described their parents as people who looked for the
potential in others. When they saw an innate gift in someone else, they tried to cultivate it —
whether in their children or grandchildren, Gloria D’Ambrosio Kane’s biology students, or Dr.
James Kane Sr.’s colleagues on the Allied staff at Ascension Alexian Brothers.
“They both advocated for and encouraged people to reach their potential, whatever that was,”
said their daughter, Dr. Mary Kane, who was on staff at Ascension Alexian Brothers for 35 years
before she retired from gastroenterology. “It absolutely was about people getting to make the
best use of their gifts for their own benefit and to benefit other people.”
Although Dr. James Kane Sr. and Gloria D’Ambrosio Kane have passed away, they remarkably
continue to encourage and advocate for others. They generously made an estate gift to support
Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension Saint Alexius Allied staff who seek to develop their
talents and skills through education.
The value of education and encouragement
Dr. James Kane Sr. was always encouraged by his parents to pursue his education. He also
benefited from the positive role model set by his older brother and by many of the Jesuits who
taught him at the University of Scranton. Their encouragement stuck.
He married a woman who also believed deeply in the value of education: Gloria D’Ambrosio
Kane earned a master’s degree in zoology in the 1940s and served as a lab assistant at
Northwestern University. She went on to teach high school biology in Chicago until she became
pregnant with her first child. Together, they had four children: Dr. Mary Kane; Dr. James Kane
Jr., a surgeon on staff at Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension Saint Alexius; Dr. M.
Elizabeth Kane, DDS; and Patricia Kane Schmidt, who with her mother’s encouragement and
guidance pursued careers in engineering and in intellectual property law.
“Our mother was good at matching people’s talents and interests to a career path, and that,
again, was part of our parents’ ability together to recognize talent and nurture it among the
people around them,” said Dr. Mary Kane.
The Kane family legacy lives on
With the encouragement of his parents, brother and teachers, and in partnership with his wife,
Dr. James Kane Sr. became an avid lifelong learner. He was a practicing surgeon for 47 years
in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, retiring at age 80. He was a pioneer in laparoscopic and
bariatric surgery — work that his son, Dr. James Kane Jr., carries on today through his surgical
practice.
“Our father supported continuing medical education and continuing improvement in techniques and practices to take care of people,” said Dr. Mary Kane. “He embraced change.”
While many of his family members carry on his passion for medicine, his and his wife’s legacy
now also lives on through the Dr. James and Gloria Kane Sr. Education Fund.
Advancing education for healthcare workers
Established in 2019 through their estate gift, the fund advances Dr. James Kane Sr. and Gloria
D’Ambrosio Kane’s passions for education, for medicine and for giving back to the community. It
also is a symbol of their gratitude to the Alexian Brothers; Dr. James Kane Sr. began his career
at their hospital in Chicago and built his practice with Alexian Brothers in the northwest suburbs.
The fund provides educational scholarships for Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension
Saint Alexius associates, including registered nurses, patient care technicians and physician
assistants, who are focused on advancing their careers and education. This type of scholarship
support is especially needed now, at a time when hospitals across the nation face staffing
shortages. The Kane children hope their parents’ gift will inspire others to give to support
education for healthcare workers.
“I am grateful that the Kanes valued and recognized the importance of continuing education for our
nurses and leaders in an ever-evolving healthcare environment,” said Polly Davenport, D.Sc.,
RN, FACHE, Ascension Illinois Ministry Market Executive. “As a surgeon, Dr. Kane knew
firsthand that the competency and fluency of skill among the entire team is imperative to staff
engagement and successful patient outcomes. I appreciate their acknowledgment of the value
of education through this generous donation.”
“Joy in helping other people”
Most people get into medicine because they want to improve other people’s lives, so kindness
and integrity tend to be the norm among people working in the field, and that is one of the
privileges of working in medicine, Dr. Mary Kane said. For example, beyond his surgical
practice, Dr. James Kane Jr. also helps as a member of the Foundation’s Physicians Council,
which addresses unmet community health needs through philanthropy.
“There is a lot of joy in helping other people,” Dr. Mary Kane added. “It’s a very special thing.”
Their parents’ legacy lives on and continues to make a difference, both in their immediate family
and in their extended family at Ascension Alexian Brothers and Ascension Saint Alexius.
Through their philanthropy, the Kanes continue to seek the potential in others and encourage
them to advance their education, develop their gifts and enhance the joy of helping others.
