Ruth Bebermeyer, a beloved former School of Medicine employee who passed away this past May, donated over $1.3 million to the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. These funds will be added to the endowment Ruth established in 2007 in honor and memory of her sister, Ruby Mae Bebermeyer. The Ruby Bebermeyer COPD Fund supports chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) research. COPD makes breathing difficult for the 16+ million Americans who have this disease.
Ruth retired from Washington University in 1999 where she had been Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations for the School of Medicine. After Ruth’s retirement, The Ruth Bebermeyer Award was established by the School of Medicine to honor her many years of service to the Alumni Association and to students. The award is conferred each year at graduation to a medical student who has shown extraordinary kindness and sensitivity to the needs of others.
“Ruth Bebermeyer’s love and dedication to the School of Medicine continues after her passing with her generous gift to the COPD fund,” comments Michael J. Holtzman, MD, director of the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and the Selma and Herman Seldin Professor of Medicine. “It will continue to fund a drug discovery program that she helped to start and continued to support over the years. We want her patience and our perseverance to pay off together.“