Nashville community leader and philanthropist Monroe Carell, Jr.'s generosity and passion for the health of children led to the building of one of the nation's top children's hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is perhaps best known for the legacy he leaves as the namesake of the Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital.

A renowned businessman, Carell was the founder of Central Parking Corporation, the world's largest parking corporation, where he sat at the helm for more than four decades before its sale in 2007. He was a Nashville native who served in the Navy before enrolling in Vanderbilt's School of Engineering. He graduated in 1959 and was named a distinguished alumnus of the school in 2001. Carell was named chair of the Campaign for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in 1998. His family donated $20 million to the campaign.