Newlyweds’ Drop Off Bouquets

From Hotel For Bassett Patients

COOPERSTOWN – Before leaving on their honeymoon the next day, Anna Politano and Tad Ruckert of Rochester, married last Saturday at The Otesaga, collected the flower arrangements from their reception and delivered them to Bassett Hospital to be given to patients.

Ruckert, a third generation obstetrician and gynecologist in his family’s Rochester medical practice, said, “I know from being around a hospital environment that the holiday time frame can be particularly difficult on patients, especially if they expected to be home for the holiday season. Anything we can do to make the day brighter for them while they’re in the hospital we’d like to do. Hopefully this helps put a smile on some patients’ faces, at least for the holiday.”

The newlyweds delivered nearly two dozen French bouquets from Renaissance Floral Designs containing white roses and ranunculus to the hospital the day after their wedding. The flowers lit up the faces of patients as the bouquets were distributed on the inpatient floors, eliciting exclamations such as, “They’re beautiful!” and “This is wonderful, thank you so much.”

Laurie Murphy, team leader of hospital guest services, said, “We are so grateful to Tad and Anna. It was such a thoughtful thing to do and well received by our patients. The flowers bring beauty and some happiness into a setting that can be quite difficult for individuals who are hospitalized for treatment of a medical condition.”

Ruckert is familiar with Bassett, having done his cardiology rotation at the Cooperstown hospital in his fourth year of medical school. In addition, his father, G. Theodore Ruckert IV, completed an internship at Bassett in the late 1960s and is vice president of the Bassett Medical Alumni Association. Ruckert’s wife Anna also has connections to Bassett; her mother, Denine Jacob, is director of compensation and benefits for the hospital.