The late J.B. Fuqua didn't forget Piedmont Hospital's Fuqua Heart Center in his will.

The hospital has received a $5 million bequest from Fuqua's trust, the largest estate gift in Piedmont's 102-year history.

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The gift continues a long pattern of giving by Fuqua to the hospital. In February 1995, Fuqua presented the Fuqua Heart Center to Atlanta in honor of his wife, Dorothy, as a way to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

In October 1999, Fuqua gave another $3 million as a way of saying thank you. Earlier that year, Fuqua had heart bypass surgery and was able to experience firsthand the care at the Fuqua Heart Center, which was convenient to his home.

When making that gift, Fuqua told me: "When you are old, the thing you think about when you think of a need in hospital services is that you might have a heart attack. I thought it would be good to have something close by."

In his lifetime, Fuqua gave more than $10 million to the heart center, and he served on Piedmont Hospital's foundation board. Although Fuqua died at Piedmont Hospital on April 5, 2006, he did not die of a heart attack.

The $5 million estate gift will go toward establishing an endowment in his honor and to help equip the Fuqua Heart Center with the latest technology as well as support scientific and educational programs at the center.

His son, Rex Fuqua, said in an e-mail that J.B. Fuqua "was a believer in the power of medical technology and education to extend people's lives and their well-being." Rex Fuqua said Piedmont's heart center has saved thousands of lives because of the hospital's investment in medical technology.

"My father was totally committed to this mission and wanted to add to his endowment in this great Atlanta institution through this $5 million bequest."

Ponce de Leon's parks get new life

Talk about a community and a cause that could.

The Olmsted Linear Park Alliance held a gala Sunday evening at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History to celebrate the successful completion of its $9.5 million capital campaign to restore and improve historic parks along Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Led by civic leader Tally Sweat, the alliance has been able to rehabilitate a series of six parks that were originally designed by world-renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr.

Five of the six already have been completed, and now the alliance has the funds to complete the work to restore 22-acre Deepdene Park, which is on the eastern end of the linear green space.

"The Olmsted legacy is now reality," Sweat said at the gala. Utilities are being buried, new light fixtures are being installed, and improved landscaping with paths and play areas are bringing the parks back to life.

Sweat said the effort took 10 years and that it was successful because of contributions from all segments of the community. The major donors were the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, $1.45 million; the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, $750,000; the Georgia Department of Transportation, $2.8 million; DeKalb County, $1.56 million; and $540,000 from the city of Atlanta.

But fund-raising still isn't finished. As Sweat said at the gala: "Now we must turn to sustaining the park's upkeep through a permanent endowment for maintaining and sustaining our beautiful linear park."

Heery design firm gets new leader

The Heery design, architectural and engineering firm has a new president — William Heitz.

Heitz takes that title from Jim Moynihan, who is taking an expanded national role with Heery's parent company, Balfour Beatty, an international firm based in the United Kingdom. Moynihan remains Heery's chairman and CEO.

Heitz actually joined Heery back in 1979 when it was still owned by architect George Heery.

"The Atlanta office is about twice the size as it was when I joined Heery," Heitz said of the firm, which has 400 employees here. Heery now has 1,100 people at 30 offices around the world.

Winter Properties CEO steps down

Speaking of new presidents ... Bob Silverman, founder and CEO of Winter Properties, has named Michael Fallon as the new president of his development company.

Fallon joined Winter's board a couple of years ago. When Silverman recently decided it was time to step back from his day-to-day role, he recruited Fallon to move from New Hampshire to take over as president.

"I'm 66, and we have to prepare for the future," said Silverman, who first met Fallon through Urban Land Institute activities. Fallon has a long real estate history and actually was involved in the original work-out of Colony Square in the 1970s.

Fallon, 61, said he has retired twice but never really stopped working. The Winter job intrigued him because "the needs that were here were ones that I thought I could make a contribution toward filling."

But Fallon, who envisions staying with Winter for about five years, said his major task will be to find a successor to run the firm for the long term. He and his wife have bought a condo in Midtown, in walking distance of Winter's offices.

Interestingly for Atlanta, Fallon is on the national board of the College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Ind. A group of Atlantans has been working on a bid to lure the attraction to Atlanta.

Management firm expands staff

Speaking of Silverman ... Bob's brother, Arnie Silverman, is expanding his firm, which provides program management for nonprofit clients, community organizations and government agencies. For example, Silverman worked on the Olmsted Linear Parks project.

Two professionals have joined the firm: Sandy Boyce, after 23 years working for the Army, will become director of administration and finance. Marti Watts, a landscape architect with 11 years of working on planning, urban design and construction, will be one of Silverman's senior project managers.