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Rededication of a Monument to Medicineby Ann Saye
Fifty-seven years ago, Wilhelmina Cullen, matriarch of the Cullen family, attended ceremonies officially opening the new Baylor building named for her father and mother, Roy and Lillie. On January 5, she was present again when the Cullen Building was rededicated following renovations resulting from damage during Tropical Storm Allison in summer 2001. At her side was her great-granddaughter, Lillie. It was a day that paid homage to the College's history and heralded the best to come. Wilhelmina Cullen remembered the similar event that took place so long ago. April 24, 1948, marked the culmination of a three-day formal dedication ceremony of the Hugh Roy and Lillie C. Cullen Building. The Cullen Building was touted as a "Monument to Medicine," according to the Houston Chronicle. Planning for the building had actually begun in 1943, shortly after the College had relocated to Houston with the encouragement of Earl Hankamer and Ray Dudley - both Baylor trustees - and with the help of the M.D. Anderson Foundation. The Foundation had purchased land for the Texas Medical Center and financed Baylor's move from Dallas, but the war delayed construction of a permanent building. The College's first five years were spent in a Sears, Roebuck & Co. warehouse on Allen Parkway. In 1944, Wilhelmina and her sisters each presented $10,000 checks to the College to support the building project. In 1945, the M.D. Anderson Foundation approved Wyatt C. Hendrick's architectural plans, and Baylor trustee and independent oilman Raymond C. Hankamer made the motion to proceed with construction. The College broke ground that December, but progress was slow. The contract called for completion in 300 days, but ultimately, it took more than twice that long. Original plans called for a $1 million building, but as is so often the case, building costs rose - to $2.5 million. Additional contributions came in, but a huge shortfall remained. Hankamer, Dudley and Marrs McLean, the Spindletop oilman, asked their friends Roy and Lillie Cullen to make a contribution to the College's building fund. On March 1, 1945, the Cullens announced that they would write the first check - in the amount of $800,000 - from the newly established Cullen Foundation to ensure that the building would be completed and that the College would be ready for occupancy by the end of the decade. Houston Endowment and The Brown Foundation also made generous gifts toward the building's construction. After the Cullen Building was dedicated in April 1948, the Cullens continued to donate funds to the College until, by the end of 1954, their gifts totaled approximately $2.5 million - enough to cover the cost of the building and equipment for the entire structure. Located at the head of what was then M.D. Anderson Boulevard, the 130,000 square-foot, four-story structure of reinforced concrete, granite, and Texas cream limestone was the first building to be completed in the Texas Medical Center. Edward Galea, a native of Malta who studied sculpture in Rome, was commissioned to execute the exterior designs for the Cullen Building, a series of bas relief panels depicting the history of modern medicine. Today, newly installed flood barricades, which temporarily closed the main entrance to the College, preserve its historic façade. The Cullen Building, along with the plaza and the Alkek Fountain, are undoubtedly the most recognizable features of the Baylor College of Medicine campus. The Alkek Fountain was originally dedicated on August 2, 1982, to acknowledge Board Trustee Albert B. and Margaret Alkek's tremendous contributions to the College to support research and patient care initiatives. On that hot day in August, when Mr. Alkek threw the switch to activate the Alkek Fountain for the first time, everyone applauded. The same was true on January 5, when Mrs. Alkek, with the flip of a switch, brought the newly renovated fountain to life. Those gathered applauded - for Baylor College of Medicine's benefactors, for our successful history, and for a future that has never looked brighter. In Tribute: Margaret M. AlkekAs Solutions went to press, Margaret M. Alkek passed away. Her unparalleled contributions to the College - a legacy that began with the beneficence of both her and her husband Albert B. Alkek, who preceded her in death - have provided the College with opportunities it could not otherwise have realized. From the Alkek Fountain to the Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Building, which houses The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - and many other named facilities and programs - to a landmark $31.25 million gift to the College in 1998, it is clear that BCM owes much to this remarkable woman and her family. She will be missed by all who knew her, and she will be remembered by all who have benefited - and who will continue to benefit - from her generosity of spirit. |
Patient CareBaylor Clinic from the Inside Out Oil and Medicine: Profile on Dan Duncan ResearchEpilepsy: Seeking the Cause of a Lonely Disease Epilepsy: A history of stigma and superstition In for a Checkup? Check Out the Research Too EducationAll About the Education Evolution Revolution Community ServiceIntroducing the Problem Solvers College NewsRededication of a Monument to Medicine New BCM Logo Takes Center Stage The Perfect Fit: Putting the Pieces Together
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Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2005 |
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| Last modified: October 10, 2008 |
Texas philanthropist Margaret Alkek pushed a button at noon on January 5, 2005, to turn on the fountain that has borne her family's name for 22 years. Standing in the crowd celebrating the rededication of the Cullen Building and the Alkek Fountain were four generations of the Cullen family that helped build the structure that would forever symbolize the front door of Baylor College of Medicine.