MU alumni Glenn Linnerson and his wife, Nancy Linnerson, have given an $11 million contribution to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. The estate gift, the largest in the college’s history, will establish the Dr. Glenn R. and Nancy A. Linnerson Imaging Center, which will further comparative and translational medicine research at MU.
“Together with the MU Research Reactor and the upcoming NextGen Precision Health building, these facilities will help accelerate new pharmaceutical drugs and biomedical devices to improve patient care,” said Mun Choi, University of Missouri president. “Mizzou is home to world-class medical imaging resources, and now, with this gift, we can honor the Linnerson’s legacy by taking our research to the next level.”
Glenn and Nancy Linnerson met in Columbia when they were college students and remained connected to their alma mater throughout their lives.
“Nancy and I spent considerable time discussing how their planned gift could continue the commitment she and Glenn had to veterinary medicine, while contributing to biomedical discoveries that benefit both humans and animals,” said Carolyn J. Henry, dean of the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. “The Linnerson Imaging Center will do just that by equipping the College of Veterinary Medicine to play an essential role in translational medicine at MU and beyond. We are so grateful to the Linnersons and this estate gift, which is the single largest gift our college has ever received.”
Both Linnersons graduated from MU in 1954. Glenn Linnerson graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Nancy Linnerson graduated with a degree in human environmental sciences.
“Estate gifts such as the one so generously provided by the Linnersons help ensure that our faculty and students have the tools they need to conduct groundbreaking and innovative research for generations to come,” said Jackie Lewis, vice chancellor for Advancement at MU. “Their legacy will only grow with every breakthrough and every life saved because of the work done at the Linnerson Imaging Center.”
Veterinary research aimed at treating various cancers and diseases in animals can also inform treatments for humans with similar diseases. The Linnersons were passionate about comparative and translational medicine, with a particular interest in prostate cancer and comparative oncology.
“The imaging equipment that this endowment will allow us to acquire will not only improve diagnostic capabilities for treating animal patients, but also has the potential to capitalize on Mizzou’s existing strengths and resources, like the MU Research Reactor, to expand medical studies,” said Kevin Lunceford, supervisor of the Veterinary Health Center’s radiology service. “Simply put, this gift will save lives
Story courtesy of Missouri News Bureau
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