Evelyn Hart Gives Back with a Grateful Heart Evelyn Hart will be the first person to tell you she is the luckiest woman in Newport Beach. She counts her health, her family and friends, her beach house and her community on her gratitude list. Over the years, she has given much to the city that has blessed her with such a wonderful life.
She moved to Newport Beach in 1951 with her husband John. For years, they worked side by side in the family business, Hart's Sporting Goods, located at Newport and Harbor Boulevards. "Everyone came to Hart's," she says. "Every now and then, we run into old customers who tell us they still have the things they bought from us back in the day."
After twenty years in business, Evelyn and John closed Hart's. She had been involved with the City of Newport Beach Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission, establishing the bike trails in the coastal areas and Irvine. In 1978, she decided to run for city council and, with the support of family and friends, she won a seat. For 16 years, including two as mayor, Evelyn stewarded the growth of Newport Beach.
"I've seen great changes here in Newport Beach, but one thing has remained the same," she says. "Hoag has always been here."
Two of her children were born at Hoag. Evelyn volunteered at the Hoag thrift store and worked on the hospital's call waiting line. She was a longtime member of the Hoag Auxiliary, and today, at the age of 85, remains active with the Oasis Senior Center in Corona del Mar. When she's not attending board meetings around town, Evelyn and John are on their boat or gardening.
Stepping Up
Evelyn is forever grateful for the care and support she and her family have received from the physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers at Hoag over the years. The advanced treatment from Hoag's Neurosciences Institute has kept her active and involved with life.
She credits Dr. Gwyn Parry, director of Hoag Community Benefit Program, and Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D., president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation, with providing philanthropic guidance. "When the Friends of the Oasis Senior Center needed to raise funds for a new building and transportation, they stepped right up and helped us," she says. "Dr. Andrizzi attends our meetings and helped us to get organized so we could meet the needs of our seniors."
Evelyn and John decided to name Hoag as a beneficiary of their trust so that no matter how much Newport Beach changes, Hoag will always be there for future generations.
