Reporters' Notebook: A taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous

Those interested in getting an up close look at the personal lives of one of Cleveland's most prominent power couples — Dr. Floyd “Fred” Loop and Dr. Bernadine Healy — can do so at a public auction of contents of their estate on Saturday, Aug. 29, at their sprawling, 40-acre property in Gates Mills.

Loop, who died earlier this year, was the former Cleveland Clinic CEO who many credit with transforming the hospital system into a regional health care powerhouse. Healy, who died in 2011, was the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health, the former head of the American Red Cross and an adviser to president Ronald Reagan.

“This is a snapshot of their life,” said Richard “Jeff” Jeffers, the principal auctioneer and CEO of Garth's Auctioneers and Appraisers. “Those who attend the auction will get to see a marvelous piece of real estate, and they'll also be able to get this full view of who Dr. Loop and Dr. Healy were.”

Items of note include Loop's desk from when he was at the Clinic and other high quality furniture, an impressive art collection and more than 50 oriental rugs. Many of the items being sold were gifts from dignitaries all over the world. Moreover, Garth's will sell the couple's wine collection, some firearms and jewelry in fall auctions at its facility in Delaware, Ohio. The couple's Gates Mills home, however, is not up for auction.

“A lot of these things are really interesting, and you don't often have this kind opportunity in today's auction marketplace,” Jeffers said. “There's something for everyone.”

For more information on the auction, visit http://tinyurl.com/pbjd6bs.

Originally http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150823/NEWS/308239994/reporters-notebook-aug-24-2015