Children's Health
A conceptual rendering of Children’s Health and UT Southwestern's new pediatric campus.
Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center announced a historic gift of $100 million from the Jean and Mack Pogue family in support of the $5 billion new Dallas pediatric campus, unveiled earlier this year.
The gift from the Pogue Foundation is one of only four $100 million philanthropic gifts ever publicly announced in North Texas, and it is the largest donation yet to the new pediatric campus project, which will replace the existing Children's Medical Center Dallas.
To recognize the gift, the 33-acre site for the new Dallas pediatric campus will be named Pogue Park, officials said.
"Mack and I have had the blessing of being able to support Children's Health and UT Southwestern for many years, knowing how much they impact the well-being of patients and communities they serve," said Jean Pogue in a statement. "Our family is proud to play a part in helping build the new Dallas pediatric campus. We're beyond grateful for the difference it will make for future generations of children."
According to Children's Health, the three previous known gifts of $100 million include:
- $100M to UT Southwestern via Southwestern Medical Foundation from Gov. Bill Clements, for which Clements University Hospital ultimately was named
- $100M to UT Southwestern from the O’Donnell Foundation to endow the new Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health
- $100M to SMU from The Moody Foundation for the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, which also was recognized by naming Frances Anne Moody Hall
Pogue park will encompass the outdoor grounds surrounding the new facilities and will include sprawling green spaces intended to support compassionate healing and reduce stress in a restorative and natural environment.
"For four decades, the Pogue family's generosity has been instrumental in our ability to deliver exceptional care that is helping to shape the future of health care," said Christopher Durovich, President and Chief Executive Officer at Children's Health. "Pogue Park will profoundly enhance the patient and family experience in our new Dallas pediatric campus, creating a respite reflective of our mission to make life better for children."
Mack Pogue, who passed in early 2024, and Jean Pogue have generously provided Children's Health and UT Southwestern with more than $200 million in support over the past 40 years.
Mack Pogue earned a degree from Texas Tech in 1959.
After stints as a high school football coach and a sewing machine salesman, he became a real estate broker with Majors and Majors in Dallas in 1961. Pogue formed Lincoln Property Company in 1965 with Trammell Crow as his first partner.
"Through their remarkable foresight and philanthropy, Mack and Jean Pogue have advanced groundbreaking research at UT Southwestern, with a special focus on children," said Daniel K. Podolsky, president of UT Southwestern Medical Center and professor of Internal Medicine. "The discoveries they have helped make possible will come to life through the multidisciplinary, cutting-edge care that children from North Texas and beyond will receive at our new pediatric campus."
Children's Health and UT Southwestern are entering a new chapter in pediatric medical care, innovation, and research as North Texas experiences unprecedented growth. The pediatric population in the region is expected to double by 2050.
Children's Health and UT Southwestern unveiled plans in February for a new $5 billion Dallas pediatric campus. Located in Dallas' Southwestern Medical District directly across from UT Southwestern's William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, the new Dallas pediatric campus will also be a joint hub for innovation, academic research and training, and the development of life-saving technologies.