Texas Christian University (TCU) medical school is now the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine.
The new name honors the longtime contributor and friend of the university after the estate of the late Anne Burnett Marion and The Burnett Foundation made a contribution of $25 million as a donation in support of the TCU School of Medicine.
The gift, contributed to The Anne W. Marion Endowment fund, is the second such donation from Anne Marion. The inaugural contribution from The Burnett Foundation, formerly The Anne Burnett Tandy and Charles Tandy Foundation, was a $50 million gift given to Texas Christian University as an endowment in honor of Marion’s mother, Anne Burnett Tandy, and father, Charles Tandy.
Anne Marion supported the university as a trustee and used philanthropy to strengthen TCU’s reputation and academic profile.
Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. said. “The history of TCU is beautifully intertwined with the Burnett family’s legacy. It is impossible to imagine where we would be without their generosity and longstanding loyalty. We are grateful to Anne’s daughter, philanthropist Windi Grimes, for the honor of establishing this tribute to her mother, marking her indelible contributions to TCU and generations of physician leaders.”
Marion donated to almost every department at the institution, and her last $25 million gift to TCU through The Burnett Foundation is among the most significant donations in school history. It was a crucial year for the TCU School of Medicine as it permanently established The Anne W. Marion Endowment to fund its professors, students, and programming.
“This level of generosity will create a lasting legacy through the many doctors who will go on to be physician leaders in their communities and in the field of health care, serving others and changing lives for the better for generations to come,” Boschini said. “We could not be more proud to have our School of Medicine bear her and her family’s great name forever.”
The Burnett Foundation has not only given to TCU but also focused on building various institutions throughout the city consisting of the arts and humanities, education, community affairs, and health and human services.
“Legacy and loyalty have always been Burnett family traits,” Windi Grimes said. “My grandmother’s first foundation gift was to TCU, and it seems fitting that my mother’s last foundation gift goes to support the University as well. My mother was inspired by the TCU School of Medicine, and we hope that the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine will provide a profound impact to all those it serves.”
The inaugural class of medical students at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine, now known as the Burnett School of Medicine, arrived in July 2019 and will graduate in 2023. The fourth class at the Burnett School of Medicine commenced in July 2022, bringing the institution’s enrollment to capacity.
A marvelous and well-deserved tribute to Anne Marion. May it, and her legacy, be an inspiration to others in the future.