A Campus Built on Philanthropy
First Faculty Commons
First Faculty Commons
Frist Faculty Commons
The Frist Faculty Commons was named in recognition of the leadership support of the Thomas F. Frist Jr. family.
The Frist Faculty Commons offers a convenient gathering place for dining and informal meetings of HBS faculty members, replacing the Faculty Club formerly located in Kresge Hall. The space was named in honor of the Thomas F. Frist Jr. family, who have been generous supporters of financial aid at HBS.
About the Name
After serving as a flight surgeon in the air force, Dr. Thomas F. Frist Jr. founded the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) with his father, Dr. Thomas Frist Sr. (AMP, 1984), in 1968. The company went public a year later, and with the younger Frist providing leadership, first as president and subsequently as chairman, president, and CEO. In 1994, the company merged with Columbia Hospital Corporation, and today it is the leading provider of health-care services in the United States. HCA was the subject of a 2012 HBS case study.
Thomas F. Frist Jr. is director of the Patricia C. and Thomas F. Frist Jr. Foundation, which supports numerous national and local cultural and educational organizations, as well as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, TN. The Frists have three children: Trisha, Thomas III (MBA 1997), and William (MBA 2001). Tommy III and Billy, are managing members of Frist Capital, LLC. Tommy and his wife, Julie Damgard Frist (MBA 1997), are members of the HBS Board of Dean’s Advisors, and are vice and regional chairs of the HBS Campaign.