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A letter from the president Mrs.Virginia P. Engalitcheff was a 15-year member of the Arthritis Foundation and had been a supporter of the Foundation throughout that time. She was always appreciative of the support the physicians and arthritis health professionals were able to provide in helping her cope with the daily pain and discomfort cause by rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Several fellowships to arthritis researchers were funded by these generous donations through the Arthritis Foundation. She also gave toward other research projects and programs. The Engalitcheffs resided in Maryland. The wealth associated with the estate stemmed from the business success of Mr Engalitcheff, a Russian immigrant and inventor who started Baltimore Air Coil Company, a commercial air-conditioning firm. He later sold this firm, resulting in the Engalitcheff's ownership of a very large position in the common stock of Merck and Company, a leading international pharmaceutical and specialty chemical company. Mr. and Mrs. Engalitcheff consistently gave money to charities throughout their lives. When Mr. Engalitcheff died in 1985, Mrs. Engalitcheff continued to be equally concerned and generous toward charities with the assets inherited from her husband. On April 26, 1990, the Maryland Chapter received a letter indicating that "The Maryland Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation" was named to receive sixteen percent of the residuary estate under the Last Will and Testament of Virginia P. Engalitcheff, who had died on April 19, 1990. The Chapter was one of seven charities cited in the will. The Engalitcheff Endowment Fund, maintained by the Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter is a fund consisting of monies from the Last Will and Testament of Virginia P. Engalitcheff. The principal of the gift, $14.9 million, is to be invested and reinvested with only the interest income spent for purposes determined by the Maryland Chapter's Board of Directors. The Board decided from the start to dedicate the generous gift toward research. The Maryland Chapter is the #1 chapter in funding research across the country, devoting 10 million toward research in the last 5 years. Jan Thompson
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