U. of Texas Medical Center Receives $100-Million From Former Governor

A former governor of Texas, William P. Clements, has pledged $100-million to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

The pledge, to be paid out over four years, is the largest single donation ever made to the institution. It will be unrestricted, allowing the medical center to use the money as it chooses.

Mr. Clements, 92, who made his fortune in the oil-and-gas business, said he hoped the gift would help the medical center attract other donations. A Republican, he served as governor from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1987 to 1991.

The pledge came as a surprise to the university, said William T. Solomon, chairman of the Southwestern Medical Foundation and a lifelong friend of Mr. Clements’s. The donor had called him just two weeks ago to discuss the pledge, Mr. Solomon told the newspaper.

“I was overwhelmed because the gift had not been solicited,” Mr. Solomon said. “But it’s entirely consistent with the Bill Clements I’ve always known. He wants UT Southwestern to become one of the world’s great medical centers.” —Kathryn Masterson