LEXINGTON, Ky. — When Dinsmore & Shohl LLP litigator Barbara Barnstable Edelman first met Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton, they instantly connected over their shared love for the University of Kentucky. This initial meeting marked the beginning of an attorney-client relationship that became a trusted friendship.
“When I started representing Mr. Gatton, it was one of the greatest thrills of my life,” Edelman says.
Edelman counseled Mr. Gatton on important matters until his death in 2022. She still advises the Gatton Foundation, which continues Gatton’s philanthropic mission for communities across Kentucky, east Tennessee and southwest Virginia. Gatton, a successful business man in auto dealerships, banking, property development and more, was UK’s largest philanthropist before his passing at age 89, and the foundation his estate manages continues to give, including $100 million to the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
Before his passing, Gatton expressed his desire to show his gratitude to Barbara for the favorable outcomes she had achieved on his behalf.
Ultimately, one charity stood out as a clear choice.
In 2008, Edelman’s twin sisters Patricia Barnstable Brown and Priscilla Barnstable along with their mother, Wilma, established the University of Kentucky’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center for diabetes research, in memory of Patricia’s husband, David Brown, who passed away in 2003 from complications of diabetes. Each year, Patricia hosts the star-studded Barnstable Brown Gala at her Louisville home, which attracts celebrities and dignitaries visiting for the Kentucky Derby. The evening event is the family’s premiere fundraiser for diabetes research.
Honoring the late businessman’s wishes, the Gatton Foundation recently gifted $16 million to the Center. For her dedication to Gatton’s important business matters, $10 million of the donation establishes The Barbara B. Edelman Endowed Faculty Fund to support chairs and professorships to expand research and clinical care. To date, the Gatton Foundation has donated more than $180 million to various programs and departments at UK.
“I was completely blown away,” said Edelman, who had never talked extensively about her family’s work to Gatton, and was not aware a donation was going to be announced at the Center’s annual Research Day, which welcomes doctors and scientists from across the country. “When Danny Dunn, the trustee of the Gatton Foundation made a surprise appearance, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I kind of stopped breathing, and when I heard ‘$16 million,’ I really started crying.”
The balance of $6 million will go toward funding the next breakthrough in diabetes care and treatment. It will also fund scholarships for Kentucky residents pursuing a career as a registered dietician with an interest in diabetes care.
“I have had a great career,” Edelman recalls of her passion for building strong connections with all her clients, adding the donation serves as a testament to the work she and all of her Dinsmore colleagues accomplish for them. Earning the respect of her clients, and working for the best outcome, has always been a driving force for her. “I worried more over their cases than they did. The fact that a client would think so highly of his attorney, that he would want to honor her in such a unique way, speaks to the service we provide and how much we care.”
Edelman has been featured in The Lane Report’s Top Women in Business and was 2012 recipient of the Fayette County Bar Association’s highest honor, the Henry T. Duncan Award, recognizes a member whose integrity, leadership, and professional conduct exemplifies the highest ethical and professional standards that benefit the community.
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has a nationwide team of more than 750 attorneys who are trusted advisers to Fortune 500 companies, institutions, associations, governments, professional firms and individuals.
