DALLAS (October 17, 2024) – Southwestern Medical Foundation is thrilled to announce Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. as the 2024 recipients of The Sprague Award. Established in 1991, The Sprague Award recognizes outstanding philanthropists who have provided significant support to advance health care through contributions of time, leadership and resources. Over the past 40 years, the Perots and their family’s commitment and contributions to Southwestern Medical Foundation and UT Southwestern Medical Center have paved the way for crucial medical advancements, leading to Nobel Prize-winning research, health care betterment and life-saving treatments.
“We are proud to partner with families like the Perots, who have been pillars in Dallas for generations, dedicating their time and making substantial investments to advance medical research and patient care both locally and globally.”
Michael McMahan
President & CEO of Southwestern Medical Foundation
The Sprague Award, the Foundation’s highest community service award, honors Charles Cameron Sprague, M.D., the first president of UT Southwestern Medical Center and former President of Southwestern Medical Foundation. His legacy is forever etched in the community’s history as he played a critical role in shaping Dallas’ medical landscape. Previous recipients of this prominent award include several distinguished local individuals and families such as the Bass family, the Thompson family, Maureen and Robert Decherd, Nancy and Jeremy Halbreich, Terry and Robert B. Rowling, Lyda Hill, Mary McDermott Cook, Nancy Ann and Ray L. Hunt, the Dedman family and more.
“At Southwestern Medical Foundation, driving innovation in medicine is central to our mission,” said Michael McMahan, President and CEO of Southwestern Medical Foundation. “We are proud to partner with families like the Perots, who have been pillars in Dallas for generations, dedicating their time and making substantial investments to advance medical research and patient care both locally and globally. Their decades of leadership and commitment made them stand out as this year’s recipients. It is truly an honor to present Mr. and Mrs. Ross Perot Jr. with The Sprague Award and celebrate their vision for the future of our dynamic, growing region.”
The Perot family’s long tenure of involvement within the Dallas medical community began nearly half a century ago with Margot and Ross Perot Sr., the parents of Ross Perot Jr. The Perots have long been well-known for their business acumen, activism and philanthropy, and their efforts have significantly impacted the lives of countless individuals and families within Dallas and beyond.
“For us to be involved in such a noble cause with such a tremendous impact is a great privilege. We are humbled and honored by Southwestern Medical Foundation for this immense distinction.”
Ross Perot, Jr.
Mr. Perot Jr. recently served on the Steering Committee for UT Southwestern’s Campaign for the Brain, which was devoted to raising funds to advance brain research and clinical care through the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. The campaign met its five-year, $1 billion goal to support research, technology enhancements, faculty recruitment and support, as well as crucial facilities and program investments, making it one of the largest brain-focused contributions at a U.S. academic medical center in the country. Mrs. Perot Jr. previously chaired the Sweetheart Ball, which benefits cardiovascular research at UT Southwestern. Additionally, through The Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation, the couple has supported key initiatives, including UT Southwestern’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), as well as making significant investments in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research.
“Medical research has been a part of our family for a long time,” said Mr. Perot Jr. “My father knew that the genius doctors and researchers at UT Southwestern were the key to our future and a critical part of our community and of the nation’s medical system. For us to be involved in such a noble cause with such a tremendous impact is a great privilege. We are humbled and honored by Southwestern Medical Foundation for this immense distinction. We feel it is our duty to continue the work my father and mother started and to help care for those in our community through giving.”
Mr. and Mrs. Perot Jr. were honored with The Sprague Award in a ceremony that took place on October 16. For more information on The Sprague Award, Southwestern Medical Foundation, and its mission, visit our home page.
###
ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL FOUNDATION
Southwestern Medical Foundation is a public charity and a registered 501(c)(3) with a prestigious 85-year history that all started with a question: “Why not a great medical center in the Southwestern United States?” The Foundation was created to rally citizens in support of the highest quality health care possible in the Southwestern US. Out of that community vision, UT Southwestern Medical Center emerged. Today it remains the Foundation’s partner and most significant beneficiary. Southwestern Medical Foundation is guided by four core principles: Service to Community, Vision of Excellence, Mindful Stewardship, and Best Outcomes. Each principle is a promise to donors, beneficiaries, and generations to come that the Foundation is dedicated to bringing the gift of better health to the Southwest and the world beyond. Southwestern Medical Foundation continues to earn a Candid (formerly GuideStar) Platinum Seal and Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating. These organizations rate governance, accountability, and transparency, supported by both qualitative and quantitative measures. Learn more about our story.