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| Vol. 24, No. 1 |
| January 15, 2002 |
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UT-Houston Receives Largest Individual Gift in its History by DAVID BATES The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston A bequest from the late Eula Goss Wintermann of Eagle Lake is the largest gift from an individual ever received by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The gift, about $4.5 million in property, was officially accepted by the Board of Regents of the U.T. System last fall. Wintermann, who died Nov. 29, 2000, at age 88, bequeathed UT-Houston her private residence and a wooded 46-acre tract in Eagle Lake, about 80 miles southwest of Houston. Her gift includes a $2 million endowment to maintain the property and pay any related expenses. "This very generous gift is an enormous shot in the arm for the university," said UT-Houston President Dr. James T. Willerson. "The gift provides us with a place where we can hold varied retreats and planning activities attended by faculty, staff and students, or meetings of national and international significance." Dr. Willerson said the university plans to undertake some refurbishment and refocusing of the Wintermann estate as a conference center, taking advantage of the serene rural setting. "In keeping with UT-Houston’s strong commitment to sustainability and the environment," Dr. Willerson said, "large areas on the property could be developed as a living laboratory for ecology research endeavors." The property contains a two-story, 4,424 square-foot brick house (circa 1940) with a detached guesthouse and a three-car garage with an upstairs loft. A pool house with an enclosed pool was built at a short distance from the main house in the 1960s. All the buildings contain original artwork. There also is a small boathouse and a fenced rose garden on the property, which fronts Eagle Lake. Jack M. Johnson, executor of Wintermann’s estate and a member of UT-Houston’s Development Board, said, "It’s wonderful that, in the spirit of Mrs. Wintermann’s wishes, the estate will be used for conferences not only for UT-Houston, but also for other nonprofit organizations with an educational mission. Eula Goss Wintermann was a Houston native and a graduate of The Kinkaid School and Rice University. In 1935, she married David R. Wintermann of Eagle Lake. The couple, who shared many philanthropic interests, celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary shortly before Mr. Wintermann’s death in 1997.
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