Giving Back is a Family Affair
June 12, 2025
Philip T. Ruegger Jr. and his wife, Gloria, were mainstays in north central Middlesex County. Philip was a builder, business owner and civic leader in Metuchen, where Gloria was active in their church and the garden club. Gloria was also a longtime and active volunteer with The Auxiliary of JFK University Medical Center in neighboring Edison.
Philip died in 2007 at the age of 80; Gloria passed in 2020 at 94. Three sons and their spouses survived the couple, as well as eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The couple’s legacy of community service lives on as well. The Ruegger’s children thought it fitting to make a sizable donation to JFK from the charitable trust set up by their parents. “They had a strong commitment to the community and we thought this would make a difference,” said Sheila Ruegger, their daughter-in-law.
Gloria had gotten Sheila involved in the medical center auxiliary more than two decades ago. Longtime Metuchen residents, the Rueggers had seen first-hand the growth of JFK and its role as a vital community resource.
Philip and Gloria’s three sons and their wives – Philip III “Pete" and Becky, James (Sheila’s husband), and Tom and Anne – and their families were in agreement in making the $500,000 gift to JFK, said Sheila.
The donation will support cancer research with $300,000 to establish the Department of Surgery Research Fund and $175,000 to establish the Ruegger Family Endowment at the cancer center. Additionally, $25,000 will be used to create the JFK University Medical Center Auxiliary Women’s and Children’s Fund.
The Ruegger funds will, in part, support research by Faiz Bhora, M.D., the central regional chair of surgery for Hackensack Meridian Health, who specializes in thoracic oncology. Dr. Bhora's lab is recognized as a leader in tracheal regeneration and cancer outcomes research, including studies on lung and esophageal cancers and cancer care disparities.
The new state-of-the-art $14 million cancer center at JFK is across from the hospital at 80 James Street. The four-story center is designed to improve access to high-quality cancer care for patients in central New Jersey, with nationally recognized specialists, as well as the latest technologies.
The donation to The Auxiliary will help fund smaller projects that directly affect the patient experience, such as providing incubators for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Sheila said her in-laws and their extended family have a long history with the medical center that will now benefit from the Ruegger’s generosity. “We all agreed that JFK should be one of the primary beneficiaries of the trust,” she said.
The Ruegger family’s legacy of generosity will have a lasting impact on the work being done at JFK and we are so thankful for the support. If you would like to discuss a gift to JFK University Medical Center, please email Greg Jones, director, JFK University Medical Center Foundation, at gregory.jones@hmhn.org or visit GiveHMH.org/JFKUMC.
