Development Board Member Huffington Leaves Lasting Impact on UT Health Science Center at Houston

Life member for past 27 years, was founding member of Lone Star Legacy Society, made gifts to the institution in excess of $5 million

Roy M. Huffington

Roy M. Huffington, 90, noted Texas oilman, was appointed ambassador to Austria during the presidency of George H. W. Bush and had been a life member since 1981 of the Development Board of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, as well as a founding member of the institution's Lone Star Legacy Society. He died July 11 while visiting Venice.

Huffington made significant gifts to the health science center for several endowments, which include endowed chairs, professorships and lecture series as well as gifts to geriatric/gerontological research and care, molecular medicine research, stroke and heart research, asthma and hyperthermia research. His cumulative gifts to the institution exceed $5 million.

On May 15, The UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing honored Huffington as the school's first million-dollar donor. A portrait of Huffington was unveiled in his honor. His cumulative contributions currently support 18 Doctor of Nursing Practice scholarships.

UT School of Nursing at Houston Dean Patricia Starck, D.S.N., said, "Mr. Huffington was a long-time and loyal friend of nursing who supported education and research at the School of Nursing. He was a very fine gentleman and we are saddened to hear of his death. We extend our sincerest condolences to his children. He will be fondly remembered by the faculty, staff, students and alumni at the School of Nursing."

One faculty member in particular impacted by Huffington's generosity to the institution is Carmel Dyer, M.D., who holds the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Chair in Gerontology. Dyer is director of the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine and a professor of internal medicine at UT Medical School at Houston.

Dyer said her appointment to the Roy M. Huffington Huffington Chair "has provided support for our fledgling program and allowed us to recruit and build a wonderful interdisciplinary team.

"I believe the chair has been instrumental in helping us obtain grant support; the grantors can see the investment that has been made in the division," Dyer added.

Dyer had the opportunity to meet Huffington on two occasions and said, "He made us feel instantly at ease and even shared our interest in protecting vulnerable persons from abuse."

She added, "Ambassador Huffington invested in an educational grant proposal that we recently submitted, which put us in the running for a national foundation award. We have made it into the second round- something we couldn't have accomplished without his support.

"The recognition that the gerontology chair brings has helped us to be recognized as an up-and-coming division at the national level. We will always be grateful to Ambassador Huffington for the opportunities his generosity continues to afford us," Dyer said.

Huffington Endowments
Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Professorship, held by Jeffrey Katz, M.D., UT Medical School

Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair, held by James C. Grotta, M.D.,
UT Medical School

Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Chair in Gerontology, held by Carmel Dyer, M.D.,
UT Medical School

Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Chair in Neurology, held by Frank M. Yatsu, M.D., UT Medical School

Phyllis Gough Huffington Endowed Lecture Series at UT Medical School

Phyllis Gough Huffington Endowed Lecture Series II at UT Medical School

The Roy M. Huffington Bicentennial Endowment Fund for the Benefit of The University of Texas School
of Nursing at Houston

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