There always seemed to be a starry twinkle in the eyes of the late Nancy Hamon. Pity those who never had the opportunity to know her. Why, even in the years leading to her death in 2011 at the age of 92, she continued to have the type of aura that ingenues envy.
Nancy was one of the last remnants of what Texas legends built. The “Dallas Morning News” described her as “the grandest of Dallas’[s] grande dames”
But even before meeting her future husband Jake Hamon, as a young woman she had such a life of adventure, from moving to Hollywood in 1942 and appearing in several movies as a dancer to returning to Texas and marrying Jake in 1949. He was quite a catch, having partnered up with Ed Cox Sr. in 1923 to “purchase a group of Oklahoma stripper wells. Their partnership was to last over 20 years.” It was during that time that Jake moved his company from Ranger to Dallas.
While Edna Ferber‘s “Giant” portrayed the period of dusty ranches becoming acres of oil derricks, the Hamons along with Murchisons, Hunts and Meadows made Dallas not just a legend but the stuff of what dreams are made of.
It was a time when Dallasites could only dance, dine and drink adult beverages at private clubs. For the very most elite like the Hamons and their friends, the Cipango Club across the street from today’s Mansion on Turtle Creek was their sweet spot.
But as grand and playful as those days were, they couldn’t protect even the Hamons from heartache.
In 1984, Jake and Nancy lost their son Jake “Jay” Hamon III. With hardly enough time to adjust to Jay’s death, Jake then died of a heart attack in 1985.
But Nancy carried on as only Jake and Jay would have wanted by being a sprightly friend to all, and continuing the family tradition of philanthropy for generations to come.
Now, even following her death in 2011, Nancy has continued the Hamon mission of philanthropy through the Jake and Nancy Hamon Charitable Foundation that was established in 1998.
Today it was just announced that the Foundation has gifted $25M “in support of the $5 billion transformative pediatric campus to be built in Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District across from UTSW’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.”
This amount makes a total of more than $135M that’s been given by the Foundation to fund biomedical research, education, facilities and patient care at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health.
According to UT Southwestern President Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, ““For more than 40 years, the Hamons and the Hamon Foundation have helped to fuel the growth of our research and clinical programs, making an enduring impact on the health of our community. Their generosity and foresight have propelled the translation of discoveries into novel therapeutics and treatments for patients worldwide while also helping to ensure our ability to provide care needed by those in our own community.”
In addition to their gifts helping to shape UT Southwestern, including support for construction of Clements University Hospital, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Redbird, the Advance Imaging Research Center, The Bryan Williams, M.D., Student Center and the Jake L. Hamon Biomedical Research Building, the Foundation was instrumental in the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern and a pediatric mental health initiative, as well as the Nancy Hamon Breast Cancer Center Fund, the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Basic Cancer Research, the Laura and Jack Roach Center for Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease and the Hamon Center for Regenerative Sciences and Medicine.
The Hamon Foundation’s generosity extended to Children’s Health, where it “helped launch and provide a challenge grant for the Behavioral Health Integration and Guidance (BHIG) initiative, which advances early intervention strategies by pediatric providers for children experiencing low to moderate levels of anxiety and depression. The Hamon Charitable Foundation has supported the Fogelson Craniofacial Surgery Center, while also making a lasting and significant impact by funding game-changing discoveries through CRI.”
As Children’s Health President/CEO Christopher Durovich reported, “The vision and investment of the Hamon Charitable Foundation across the past half century have enabled us to provide comprehensive, compassionate, state-of-the-art care to the children and their families whom we are privileged to serve each day. Their gift for the new campus will not only provide resources for the advanced diagnosis and treatment of childhood illness and injury, but also will include industry-leading technology for our team members in the years ahead.”
In announcing the gift, Hamon Charitable Foundation President Kelly E. Roach said, “We are proud to support UT Southwestern and Children’s Health and their vision to advance pediatric health care and research for children in North Texas. The Hamons’ generosity will live on in the hearts and minds of the thousands of children and families who will be helped by this tremendous pediatric hospital project.”
* Graphic/photo provided by Children's Health