Story by Ryan Gauthier, rjgauthier@health.missouri.edu

Leonard and Barbara Bush are no strangers to barriers.

They’ve faced numerous obstacles throughout their lives, including a few that they say felt almost insurmountable. But it was in those trying times that several individuals stepped in and helped them reach their goals.

Now on the other side of successful careers in nursing and cytotechnology, the Bushes are committed to giving back to the next generation of healthcare professionals.

The couple recently pledged $4.4 million from their estate to the University of Missouri’s College of Health Sciences to provide scholarships for students with financial need, an endowed professorship for the college, and an unrestricted support fund for the dean. It is the largest-ever gift to the College of Health Sciences.

“We are deeply honored by Leonard and Barbara’s extraordinary generosity,” said Kristofer Hagglund, dean of Mizzou’s College of Health Sciences. “This transformative gift will create lasting opportunities for our students and faculty, and it is an inspiring legacy that will impact the college for generations to come.”

Leonard Bush said the estate gift represents the couple’s shared passion for health care and quality education, and is one way they are working to pay back the generosity of the countless people who helped them with their careers.   

“This is our way to give back and provide an opportunity for advancement to students and for the college,” said Leonard Bush. “It’s only through the people we’ve met along the way who built bridges and didn’t put down roadblocks that we’re now able to say this is going to be our legacy.”

Helping hands

Leonard Bush graduated from Mizzou’s College of Health Sciences — then the School of Health-Related Professions — in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in cytotechnology. Cytotechnologists are specialized laboratory professionals who evaluate patient cell samples under a microscope to detect subtle indicators of precancerous, malignant and infectious conditions.

Before coming to Mizzou, Leonard Bush completed two years of coursework at Brevard Community College in Florida, where he also happened to cross paths with Barbara, and then another year of professional cytotechnology training. But he had always dreamed of earning a bachelor’s degree.

He heard about Mizzou’s program in cytotechnology while working at the Audrain County Medical Center in Mexico, Missouri, and reached out to then-Dean Richard Oliver to see whether he could complete the degree while still working. Although the cytotechnology program has since been discontinued, Mizzou continues to provide the Clinical Laboratory Science degree through the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, supporting the development of laboratory professionals.

Leonard Bush said Oliver was instrumental in opening doors for him and paving a path toward a degree. The duo pored over Leonard’s existing credits and professional experience, ultimately agreeing that Leonard could earn a bachelor’s degree from the university if he were able to commit to completing two semesters’ worth of credits.

“Dean Oliver did everything he could to help a kid with a dream complete his education,” Leonard Bush said. “He embraced what education is all about — if someone wants to better themself and make the world a better place, then you should do what you can to help them along the way.”

Barbara Bush, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of South Alabama, credited mentors along the way for similarly getting her the training she needed to improve patient care both as a nurse and eventually in health care leadership roles.

Paying it forward

After long and successful careers, Leonard and Barbara Bush retired near Leonard Bush’s roots in Monroe, Tennessee.

As is the case for many retirees, the Bushes began to think about what they would like their legacy to be. They have no children, and they wanted to find a way to give back to the people and places that gave so much to them.

They ultimately decided to make estate gifts to the University of Missouri and the University of South Alabama with hopes that the funds inspire the next generation of health professionals.

“We’ve lived very well under our means and don’t have kids to carry on the name,” Barbara Bush said. “But the names Barbara and Leonard will carry on at Mizzou and the University of South Alabama for hopefully a long time to come — and that’s a little piece of immortality for us.”