名譽大學院士
Jill Gallie女士對香港的高等教育貢獻良多，其無私樂助精神備受稱崇。
Gallie女士於香港出生及成長，其父親施玉榮先生在七十年代曾任香港聯合交易所主席。畢業後，她跟隨父親步伐，投身證券業三十多年。
2003年，Gallie女士加入港大「師友計劃」擔任導師，及後兼任名譽總監逾十載，該計劃每年為500多名學生與各專業領域的資深導師配對，建立亦師亦友、互相支持學習的關係。
Gallie女士亦熱心參與港大事務，曾任賽馬會第三學生村管治委員會成員，並於2018年以雙親名義成立施玉榮伉儷基金教授席（民眾健康）。此外，她慷慨資助多個醫療學科的研究項目；在2022年初與新冠肺炎的長期抗疫戰中，她迅速捐贈一百萬港元，以支持醫學院師生到社區隔離設施協助緊急抗疫。
Gallie女士來自羅氏（Kotewall）與施氏（Zimmern）世家，兩家族自祖輩起即對公共醫療及教育事務不遺餘力，傳承至今，與港大淵緣深厚。Gallie女士的外祖父羅旭龢爵士曾任港大校務委員會成員，於1926年獲頒名譽法學博士學位；姨母羅怡基女士卒業於港大，為香港傑出教育家，並於1971年獲頒授同一榮譽；其雙親施玉榮先生及施玉榮夫人則分別為港大校友暨馬禮遜堂宿生，及2006年名譽大學院士。秉承兩個家族的優秀傳統，Gallie女士持續為港大以至香港的發展作出長足貢獻。
Citation delivered by Professor CS LAU, Dean of Medicine
When I was asked to deliver a citation for Mrs Jill Gallie at this evening’s event, I felt both honoured and a little stumped. For how was I to describe the unique qualities of this amazing lady?
Mrs Jill Gallie is an exceptional individual who has turned altruistic endeavours into an art form. She was born and bred in Hong Kong and like a true Hongkonger – Jill speaks the local dialect with impeccable fluency. You can often find her at Wanchai Market on Saturday mornings bantering in fluent Cantonese with the locals who affectionately call her - 四小姐!
Born into a distinguished family with a long tradition of community service and philanthropy, Jill has not only carried on this tradition but has added her special brand of philanthropy to enrich the lives of others, particularly the young. Her family has strong ties with our university and has always supported our development and growth. Her grandfather, Sir Robert Kotewall and aunt, Dr Bobby Kotewall, were both Honorary Graduates of HKU. Her mother, Madam Helen Kotewall, was made an Honorary University Fellow in 2006. And her father, Mr Francis Zimmern was an alumnus of HKU and a Morrisonian.
Jill signed up to be a Mentor in 2003 and has served as Honorary Director of the HKU Mentorship Scheme for nearly a decade. She has tirelessly advocated the Scheme and unreservedly brought into play her extensive connections to pair up 500 HKU students annually with mentors from all walks of life. As one mentee so succinctly put it:-
“HKU Mentorship has been an amazing experience. My mentor Jill is very caring, generous and intelligent. She has not just been a mentor in terms of my professional development, but she has also been like a mother in Hong Kong to me. I have benefitted in so many ways.”
In fact, one Christmas, back in 2017, she roped in family and friends to help her host a party in her own home to a large group of international mentees because she did not want them to spend Christmas alone in a foreign city. That is how warm-hearted Jill is.
This mentorship scheme is an invaluable part of our students lives and offers them the support they need to succeed academically and personally. Furthermore, these encounters are life-changing and often lead to lifelong friendships.
Jill’s nurturing spirit is also manifested in her role on the Governance Committee of the Jockey Club Student Village III to ensure students are well looked after during their residence. Earlier this year, amidst the prolonged battle against COVID-19 in Hong Kong, on learning that our medical students were being urgently drafted to serve in Community Isolation Centres, she lost no time in donating a considerable sum to support our students’ engagement in this worthy cause.
Following the footsteps of her family who has generously supported the University with four Kotewall and Zimmern Endowed Professorships, Jill established the Helen and Francis Zimmern Professorship in Population Health in 2018, in honour of her beloved parents. She has also supported medical research across a variety of specialisations including cardiology, orthopaedics and traumatology, and epidemiology and biostatistics.
And as we speak, Mrs Gallie continues her quest to honour the legacy of the two sides of her family whose members have made enormous contributions to the growth of the University and the well-being of the city.
Therefore, Mr Pro-Chancellor, it is my great pleasure to present Mrs Jill Gallie, 四小姐, for the Honorary University Fellowship, in recognition of her contributions to Hong Kong and academia.