Endowing excellence

Throughout his 88 years, the late Franklin Chinn, Sr., M.D., was committed to service of others.

It started in 1953 when Chinn served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. It continued through a 60-year career as a board-certified physician and three decades as a volunteer clinical faculty member at UC Davis Health System.

“Working with students and residents was richly rewarding,” said Chinn, who passed away in March of 2014. “Drawing from my personal experiences, I attempted to inspire and encourage them to become the best that they could be – knowing that through their excellence, the bar was being raised in the medical culture.”

This drive for excellence has influenced his legacy. Chinn and his wife Lily supported UC Davis medical students for more than 30 years. In 2013, they established the Franklin J. and Lily L. Chinn Family Endowment for Excellence in the UC Davis Department of Family and Community Medicine—the first major gift to the department. His daughter, Rebecca, is following in her father’s footsteps and is now a volunteer clinical faculty member at the UC Davis Health System.

“My late husband was and our family continues to be committed to serving the community we love and supporting the UC Davis Health System,” said Lily. “We hope our contribution will inspire others to join us in the endeavor.”