ITHACA, N.Y. (WENY) - The Cayuga Medical Center received a gift and a multiyear commitment of $1,000,000, the largest ever made to Cayuga Health.

The donation was made by Thomas Seaman of Vero Beach. The money will support the facility and equipment needs of the Cayuga Cancer Center and was made in memory of Seaman's wife, Jean.

Prior to living in Vero Beach, Seaman and his family were long-time residents of Tompkins County and continue to call Trumansburg their home. The Seamans were initially recruited to Ithaca in 1959 by Borg Warner. They made stops in Detroit and the United Kingdom before returning to the U.S. in 1969.

After serving as General Manager, Seaman left Borg Warner in 1983. Since then, Seaman has been involved with several business ventures, including real estate development.

"Enhancing the capabilities of Cayuga Health, particularly its cancer care, to better serve the community is a worthwhile goal, and one that the Seaman family is pleased to contribute towards," said Mr. Seaman. "This is a way to honor Jean's memory in a manner that supports the health system's efforts to care for a community and region that is so important us."

"The support Mr. Seaman and the entire Seaman family are providing will have a meaningful and long-term positive impact for our patients and the cancer care we can provide," shared Dr. Timothy Bael, Medical Director for Oncology Services at Cayuga Health. "This investment will help to ensure that we continue to have the equipment and facilities to support the needs of our patients."