Boone Powell Jr., BBA '59
Medal of Service for Contributions to the Professions in Hospital Administration
Boone Powell always knew he would attend Baylor University. He and his father, then CEO of Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, would sit around the radio on Saturday afternoons and listen to Baylor football games. Boone never applied anywhere else. It became clear that his future would be built on a love for business and a commitment to ministry. His eventual career in hospital administration would take him from California to Tennessee and back to Texas where he was asked to follow in the footsteps of his father and take the helm at Baylor Medical Center. Under Boone's leadership, Baylor Medical Center acquired other regional hospitals and became Baylor HealthCare System. An award-winning organ transplant center was begun; a thriving physician group called HealthTexas was created; and innovative programs to address a growing nursing shortage were adopted nationally.
In the aftermath of Romania's freedom from communism, Boone partnered with others to develop a medical recovery project in Romania that has drawn international attention for its medical excellence, perseverance and friendship building between medical professionals from both nations. The legacy of this Baylor family continued as Boone and wife Peggy, also a Baylor grad, watched their three children graduate from Baylor and a new generation of Powell grandchildren find their place as Baylor Bears. Boone is a generous supporter of scholarships, Baylor nursing, and Truett Seminary, and he serves as an advisor to the Baylor MBA program in healthcare. Thank you, Boone for a lifetime of service to your University and to the care of others.