July 2, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
William P. Clements Jr., a former Texas governor, has pledged $100-million to Southwestern Medical Foundation, in Dallas. The gift will benefit the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
The donation came just weeks after another $100-million was pledged to a nonprofit organization, a sign that donors are starting to make serious commitments again after several months when no gifts of that size were announced.
In May, J. Ronald Terwilliger, chairman of Trammell Crow Residential, a real-estate company in Dallas, pledged $100-million to Habitat for Humanity, in Americus, Ga.
Unlike Mr. Terwilliger’s commitment, however, which Habitat will receive upon the donor’s death, Mr. Clements, who is 92, plans to pay off his pledge over the next four years.
“My single goal is to help encourage and advance scientific discovery and innovation, prepare the next generation of physicians for Texas and the nation, and ensure the delivery of world-class medical care, which I believe uniquely happens at this academic medical center,” said Mr. Clements in a news release.
He also said he hopes the medical center will use his pledge to encourage additional donations from others.
Oil Wealth
This is not Mr. Clements’s first donation to the medical center. In 2006 he and his wife, Rita, gave the center $10-million for a building to house clinical and medical research programs, and in 1998 they donated approximately $1.3-million to support new faculty members. Rita Crocker Clements served on the University of Texas System’s Board of Regents from 1996 to 2007.
Mr. Clements made his fortune in oil. In 1947 he founded Sedco, an international oil and gas drilling contractor that merged in 1984 with Schlumberger Limited. Mr. Clements was chairman of the company until 1985.
