January 20, 2006

Patriots fans win big in silent auctions

Although the New England Patriots ended this year's Super Bowl dream with a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos Jan. 14, a few lucky MGH fans still had the opportunity to celebrate as the winners of autographed team merchandise in a number of recent silent auctions. Sponsored by MGH Human Resources, the auctions raised more than $4,500 to directly benefit the MGH Fund, which supports a variety of hospital activities. In a change from last year, the auctions were held in December, which also helped the winners get a head start on their holiday shopping.

The auction prizes included Patriots helmets, footballs and jerseys. Patricia Connors, RN, of Ellison 13, won a helmet autographed by defensive lineman Richard Seymour; Andrea Maffeo, of Mass General West, Waltham, won a helmet autographed by running back Corey Dillon; and Paula Dunagin, of the Cutaneous Biology Research Center, won a helmet autographed by wide receiver Troy Brown.

The footballs were awarded to Sandra Croteau, RN, of Vascular Surgery, who won a football signed by linebacker Mike Vrabel, and William McCormick, of MGH Radiology in Chelsea, who won a football signed by linebacker Willie McGinest. The winners of the jerseys were Barbara Mahoney, RN, of Patient Care Services, who won a jersey autographed by safety Rodney Harrison; Stephen Trenouth, of MGH Information Systems, who won a jersey also autographed by Brown; and Kenneth Weissman, MD, of the Emergency Department, who won a jersey autographed by linebacker Tedy Bruschi (shown at right). To see more pictures of the winners, visit the MGH intranet at www.massgeneral.org/intranet.