Published: March 06, 1995 by the New York Time
Albert B. Alkek, an oilman and philanthropist whose $77 million helped expand the nation's largest hospital complex. He lived in Bandera, Texas for 25 years, about 40 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, formerly residing in Victoria, Texas.
The cause was a fall in which Mr. Alkek struck his head, said Sheriff James MacMillan of Bandera County. Mr. Alkek, a college dropout, turned his attention in the 1930's to the infant Texas oil industry, which eventually brought him wealth and distinction as a patron of the state's health care, education and arts. He spent 17 years working for Pierce Petroleum until it was bought by the Sinclair Oil Corporation in 1948. His new boss, Harry Sinclair, helped him form his own oil company, the Sinclair Alkek Company. Together, the two men built the state's first petroleum products pipeline. Mr. Alkek bought Mr. Sinclair's interest in 1952, and the company became the Alkek Oil Corporation, now based in Houston. In 1987, Forbes magazine estimated Mr. Alkek's net worth at $310 million. Among his donations were ones to expand the nation's largest hospital complex, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, including a $25 million gift to Baylor College of Medicine, $22 million for Texas A&M University's Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and $30 million for the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital, which is scheduled to open next year at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He married Margaret McFarland on May 14, 1934 in Austin,Texas. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Margaret Williams of Houston; a son, Albert Jr., of Houston, and two sisters, Maggie Cattan and Kathryn Taweeh, both of Victoria, Texas.
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Published in The Houston Chronicle on March 4, 1995.
The grandson of a Lebanese immigrant named Kiek, Alkek amassed a fortune estimated at $430 million and was listed in 1993 as the fourth-richest Houstonian and 20th-wealthiest Texan. But what truly honors Alkek's memory is the good to which he put his fortune for our city and its citizens. In a 1988 interview, Alkek commented: "You can't wear but one suit, and you can't eat but three meals a day. What are you going to do with your money except help others?" And help he did.
Among the many charitable acts by Alkek and his wife, Margaret, have been:
A $30 million gift to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a 550,000-square-foot patient-care center and a 1988 gift of $25 million to Baylor College of Medicine.
A 1992 gift of about $15 million to create the Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, a Texas A&M University facility on the old Shamrock Hotel site.
Two 1988 gifts of $1 million each to the Houston Grand Opera Endowment and to the University of Houston-Victoria for scholarships.
Nothing quite measures the esteem of a person like the respect paid him by the respected.
"When it came to giving back to our city and helping others, no one did more to make a difference than Albert Alkek," said former President Bush. "His selfless efforts, especially in support of our outstanding medical community, will touch countless lives for years to come."
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine, termed Alkek "a humanitarian in the finest sense of the word."
And M.D. Anderson President Charles A. LeMaistre paid tribute to Alkek's "unselfish commitment to future generations."
Houstonians of today and tomorrow owe much respect to Albert B. Alkek.
***************
NOTE: Mr. Alkek's obituary stated that he was buried in Saint Christophers Episcopal Church Cemetery
Bandera County, Texas, USA next to his wife Margaret. Margaret's obit stated burial in Memorial Oaks. I called Memorial Oaks funeral home & verified that Albert & Margaret Alkek are both buried side by side in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, {Harris County} Texas.
Albert B. Alkek, an oilman and philanthropist whose $77 million helped expand the nation's largest hospital complex. He lived in Bandera, Texas for 25 years, about 40 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, formerly residing in Victoria, Texas.
The cause was a fall in which Mr. Alkek struck his head, said Sheriff James MacMillan of Bandera County. Mr. Alkek, a college dropout, turned his attention in the 1930's to the infant Texas oil industry, which eventually brought him wealth and distinction as a patron of the state's health care, education and arts. He spent 17 years working for Pierce Petroleum until it was bought by the Sinclair Oil Corporation in 1948. His new boss, Harry Sinclair, helped him form his own oil company, the Sinclair Alkek Company. Together, the two men built the state's first petroleum products pipeline. Mr. Alkek bought Mr. Sinclair's interest in 1952, and the company became the Alkek Oil Corporation, now based in Houston. In 1987, Forbes magazine estimated Mr. Alkek's net worth at $310 million. Among his donations were ones to expand the nation's largest hospital complex, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, including a $25 million gift to Baylor College of Medicine, $22 million for Texas A&M University's Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and $30 million for the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital, which is scheduled to open next year at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He married Margaret McFarland on May 14, 1934 in Austin,Texas. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Margaret Williams of Houston; a son, Albert Jr., of Houston, and two sisters, Maggie Cattan and Kathryn Taweeh, both of Victoria, Texas.
***************************************
Published in The Houston Chronicle on March 4, 1995.
The grandson of a Lebanese immigrant named Kiek, Alkek amassed a fortune estimated at $430 million and was listed in 1993 as the fourth-richest Houstonian and 20th-wealthiest Texan. But what truly honors Alkek's memory is the good to which he put his fortune for our city and its citizens. In a 1988 interview, Alkek commented: "You can't wear but one suit, and you can't eat but three meals a day. What are you going to do with your money except help others?" And help he did.
Among the many charitable acts by Alkek and his wife, Margaret, have been:
A $30 million gift to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a 550,000-square-foot patient-care center and a 1988 gift of $25 million to Baylor College of Medicine.
A 1992 gift of about $15 million to create the Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, a Texas A&M University facility on the old Shamrock Hotel site.
Two 1988 gifts of $1 million each to the Houston Grand Opera Endowment and to the University of Houston-Victoria for scholarships.
Nothing quite measures the esteem of a person like the respect paid him by the respected.
"When it came to giving back to our city and helping others, no one did more to make a difference than Albert Alkek," said former President Bush. "His selfless efforts, especially in support of our outstanding medical community, will touch countless lives for years to come."
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine, termed Alkek "a humanitarian in the finest sense of the word."
And M.D. Anderson President Charles A. LeMaistre paid tribute to Alkek's "unselfish commitment to future generations."
Houstonians of today and tomorrow owe much respect to Albert B. Alkek.
***************
NOTE: Mr. Alkek's obituary stated that he was buried in Saint Christophers Episcopal Church Cemetery
Bandera County, Texas, USA next to his wife Margaret. Margaret's obit stated burial in Memorial Oaks. I called Memorial Oaks funeral home & verified that Albert & Margaret Alkek are both buried side by side in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, {Harris County} Texas.
Published: March 06, 1995 by the New York Time
Albert B. Alkek, an oilman and philanthropist whose $77 million helped expand the nation's largest hospital complex. He lived in Bandera, Texas for 25 years, about 40 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, formerly residing in Victoria, Texas.
The cause was a fall in which Mr. Alkek struck his head, said Sheriff James MacMillan of Bandera County. Mr. Alkek, a college dropout, turned his attention in the 1930's to the infant Texas oil industry, which eventually brought him wealth and distinction as a patron of the state's health care, education and arts. He spent 17 years working for Pierce Petroleum until it was bought by the Sinclair Oil Corporation in 1948. His new boss, Harry Sinclair, helped him form his own oil company, the Sinclair Alkek Company. Together, the two men built the state's first petroleum products pipeline. Mr. Alkek bought Mr. Sinclair's interest in 1952, and the company became the Alkek Oil Corporation, now based in Houston. In 1987, Forbes magazine estimated Mr. Alkek's net worth at $310 million. Among his donations were ones to expand the nation's largest hospital complex, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, including a $25 million gift to Baylor College of Medicine, $22 million for Texas A&M University's Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and $30 million for the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital, which is scheduled to open next year at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He married Margaret McFarland on May 14, 1934 in Austin,Texas. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Margaret Williams of Houston; a son, Albert Jr., of Houston, and two sisters, Maggie Cattan and Kathryn Taweeh, both of Victoria, Texas.
***************************************
Published in The Houston Chronicle on March 4, 1995.
The grandson of a Lebanese immigrant named Kiek, Alkek amassed a fortune estimated at $430 million and was listed in 1993 as the fourth-richest Houstonian and 20th-wealthiest Texan. But what truly honors Alkek's memory is the good to which he put his fortune for our city and its citizens. In a 1988 interview, Alkek commented: "You can't wear but one suit, and you can't eat but three meals a day. What are you going to do with your money except help others?" And help he did.
Among the many charitable acts by Alkek and his wife, Margaret, have been:
A $30 million gift to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a 550,000-square-foot patient-care center and a 1988 gift of $25 million to Baylor College of Medicine.
A 1992 gift of about $15 million to create the Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, a Texas A&M University facility on the old Shamrock Hotel site.
Two 1988 gifts of $1 million each to the Houston Grand Opera Endowment and to the University of Houston-Victoria for scholarships.
Nothing quite measures the esteem of a person like the respect paid him by the respected.
"When it came to giving back to our city and helping others, no one did more to make a difference than Albert Alkek," said former President Bush. "His selfless efforts, especially in support of our outstanding medical community, will touch countless lives for years to come."
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine, termed Alkek "a humanitarian in the finest sense of the word."
And M.D. Anderson President Charles A. LeMaistre paid tribute to Alkek's "unselfish commitment to future generations."
Houstonians of today and tomorrow owe much respect to Albert B. Alkek.
***************
NOTE: Mr. Alkek's obituary stated that he was buried in Saint Christophers Episcopal Church Cemetery
Bandera County, Texas, USA next to his wife Margaret. Margaret's obit stated burial in Memorial Oaks. I called Memorial Oaks funeral home & verified that Albert & Margaret Alkek are both buried side by side in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, {Harris County} Texas.
Albert B. Alkek, an oilman and philanthropist whose $77 million helped expand the nation's largest hospital complex. He lived in Bandera, Texas for 25 years, about 40 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, formerly residing in Victoria, Texas.
The cause was a fall in which Mr. Alkek struck his head, said Sheriff James MacMillan of Bandera County. Mr. Alkek, a college dropout, turned his attention in the 1930's to the infant Texas oil industry, which eventually brought him wealth and distinction as a patron of the state's health care, education and arts. He spent 17 years working for Pierce Petroleum until it was bought by the Sinclair Oil Corporation in 1948. His new boss, Harry Sinclair, helped him form his own oil company, the Sinclair Alkek Company. Together, the two men built the state's first petroleum products pipeline. Mr. Alkek bought Mr. Sinclair's interest in 1952, and the company became the Alkek Oil Corporation, now based in Houston. In 1987, Forbes magazine estimated Mr. Alkek's net worth at $310 million. Among his donations were ones to expand the nation's largest hospital complex, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, including a $25 million gift to Baylor College of Medicine, $22 million for Texas A&M University's Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and $30 million for the Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital, which is scheduled to open next year at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
He married Margaret McFarland on May 14, 1934 in Austin,Texas. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; a daughter, Margaret Williams of Houston; a son, Albert Jr., of Houston, and two sisters, Maggie Cattan and Kathryn Taweeh, both of Victoria, Texas.
***************************************
Published in The Houston Chronicle on March 4, 1995.
The grandson of a Lebanese immigrant named Kiek, Alkek amassed a fortune estimated at $430 million and was listed in 1993 as the fourth-richest Houstonian and 20th-wealthiest Texan. But what truly honors Alkek's memory is the good to which he put his fortune for our city and its citizens. In a 1988 interview, Alkek commented: "You can't wear but one suit, and you can't eat but three meals a day. What are you going to do with your money except help others?" And help he did.
Among the many charitable acts by Alkek and his wife, Margaret, have been:
A $30 million gift to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for a 550,000-square-foot patient-care center and a 1988 gift of $25 million to Baylor College of Medicine.
A 1992 gift of about $15 million to create the Albert B. Alkek Institute of Biosciences and Technology, a Texas A&M University facility on the old Shamrock Hotel site.
Two 1988 gifts of $1 million each to the Houston Grand Opera Endowment and to the University of Houston-Victoria for scholarships.
Nothing quite measures the esteem of a person like the respect paid him by the respected.
"When it came to giving back to our city and helping others, no one did more to make a difference than Albert Alkek," said former President Bush. "His selfless efforts, especially in support of our outstanding medical community, will touch countless lives for years to come."
Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine, termed Alkek "a humanitarian in the finest sense of the word."
And M.D. Anderson President Charles A. LeMaistre paid tribute to Alkek's "unselfish commitment to future generations."
Houstonians of today and tomorrow owe much respect to Albert B. Alkek.
***************
NOTE: Mr. Alkek's obituary stated that he was buried in Saint Christophers Episcopal Church Cemetery
Bandera County, Texas, USA next to his wife Margaret. Margaret's obit stated burial in Memorial Oaks. I called Memorial Oaks funeral home & verified that Albert & Margaret Alkek are both buried side by side in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, {Harris County} Texas.
