Texans Owner Gives $100 Million Gift To BCM
By Daniella Guzman
POSTED: 8:52 am CDT September 13, 2007
UPDATED: 10:44 am CDT September 13, 2007
HOUSTON -- The owner of the Houston Texans gave a $100 million gift to Baylor College of Medicine to recruit the best scientists and physicians from around the world studying cures for human diseases, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Robert and Janice McNair announced the donation on Wednesday.
"Janice and I discussed what we might do that would have the most meaningful impact, and we decided that the most important thing is intellectual capital," Robert McNair said. "With intellectual capital you can attract outstanding students to the medical school, and you can attract capital for building programs if you have an outstanding faculty."
The first two McNair Scholars will be recruited before the end of 2008.
Four areas of focus for the first scholars will be breast cancer, juvenile diabetes, pancreatic cancer and neurosciences, including mental health disorders. Robert McNair, 70, said he has a special interest in these areas because of the experiences of family members.
"If it can be a team effort to cure these diseases, we'll make so much more progress and that's what we're after," said Janice McNair, a breast cancer survivor.
"The gift is the largest in BCM history," Baylor College of Medicine President and CEO Peter Traber said. "With this incredible gift from the McNair Foundation, Baylor College of Medicine will be able to recruit many stars to an already world-recognized team."
In addition to naming the new healthcare campus the McNair Campus, which is scheduled to be completed in 2010, the main thoroughfare through the campus will be named "McNair Boulevard."
Forbes Magazine listed Robert McNair's net worth at $1.5 billion. He is the CEO and founder of the Houston Texans, which he proudly recognized on Wednesday.
"We had a wonderful weekend," he said. "We beat the Chiefs! The Cowboys are history!"
Copyright 2007 by Click2Houston.com
http://www.click2houston.com/news/14105231/detail.htmlNice gift! Doesn't mention if he's even an alumnus of Baylor.
