Harold Shapiro and Gary Owen: Gratitude and Satisfaction
Standing within the new University Hospital, then-President Harold T. Shapiro felt “a great sense of gratitude to those members of the Board of Regents and the faculty and administrators of the Medical Center whose faith in the project never wavered and who worked so hard and took so many risks to make it happen. I understood even then that this would be only a first step in revitalizing the U-M Medical Center. Not all the departments of the Medical School were of equal quality and the faculty practice plans were just slowly being implemented in an attempt to revitalize both the academic and clinical programs.
“In the physical sense, the old Medical Center including Old Main was gone, but in its place we were able to imagine a continuation into the 21st century of a tradition of distinction that had been established many years earlier.”
In terms of thanks, Shapiro limits his list to three key individuals, saying “The list is too long and I might forget someone.
“First, I would thank the late Alan Smith, acting president during some of the critical months surrounding the granting of our Certificate of Need for the Replacement Hospital Project. Second, the late Jim Brinkerhoff, who was then vice president for finance. Jim was central to our decision and capacity to take some very considerable financial and other risks in order to get the project going on a fast-track basis. Third, the late Richard Kennedy who through thick and thin managed to keep the state of Michigan focused on the importance of the project not only for the U-M, but for the entire state. There are, of course, many others inside the Medical Center and elsewhere whose contributions were also essential.”
And Gary Owen, then a member of the state House of Representatives, directs praise in Shapiro’s direction. “Harold Shapiro did a great job representing the U-M,” Owen says. “He was popular with the legislature, and kept the legislative and executive branches well-informed; communication with the University was very open.
“It was extremely rewarding to be part of it all, and, in the years that followed, to see how well-run and successful the hospital has been. I consider my role in the process to be one of my biggest accomplishments in the legislature.”
Owen’s reflections aren’t all business-oriented. “My son at age six was hit in the head with a baseball bat. We took him to the U-M for the expertise that was needed. As he was going into surgery, my son grabbed my hand and said, ‘Am I going to die?’ It turned out well and he’s in college in Colorado now, but it was a moment I’ll never forget. That’s just one of the positive experiences I’ve had at the U-M.”
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