For fourteen years Rebecca Meyer Brown was a faithful and frequent donor to Texas Children’s Hospital. Her philanthropic support provided seed money for a variety of hospital programs and ongoing support for several others. “My mother gave to the hospital because she thought Texas Children’s was where children would get the best care possible,” said Mrs. Brown’s daughter, Rebecca McCracken.
A fourth generation Houstonian, Rebecca Meyer Brown was the daughter of George B. Meyer, who in the mid-1950’s, developed the Meyerland subdivision in Houston on land held by the family for three generations. Mrs. Brown was married for over 50 years to Joe Mellinger Brown.
In order to provide for Texas Children’s in future years, Mrs. Brown left a residuary gift to the hospital from her estate when drawing up her will. “Both my parents were always interested in supporting charities, and they each made provisions for charities from their estate,” McCracken noted.
When drawing up her will, Mrs. Brown could have designated her gift for a particular purpose, yet she preferred to leave it unrestricted knowing, that after her death, Texas Children’s would have new priorities and needs. As a result, Mrs. McCracken decided to designate her mother’s gift to the Texas Children’s Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic in the new Clinic Care Center. “My mother had many eye problems; therefore, I believe she would be have been interested in helping children with eye problems,” McCracken said. “I believe this decision would have made her very happy.”
Texas Children’s Hospital is indeed grateful to Mrs. Brown for her generosity. It is through gifts, such has hers, that Texas Children’s is able to provide quality patient care, education and research with a commitment to quality service and cost-effective care. Her gift reaches far beyond the children of Houston, but also to the nation and around the world.