Pamela Bartling Buffett, the lead donor on the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, was one of 10 people inducted into the Omaha Central High School Hall of Fame on Oct. 7.
A 1960 graduate of Central High, Pamela was recognized for her support of the cancer center and for starting the Rebecca Susan Buffett Foundation in memory of her late daughter. Pamela and her late husband, Fred Buffett, had two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca.
The foundation supports many organizations that serve people with mental illnesses, provides scholarships for higher education and serves underprivileged children through the Northstar Foundation and Girls Inc. in Omaha.
“Any time you get inducted into a hall of fame, it is truly a significant honor,” said Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. “We want to extend our heartiest congratulations to Pamela. She has dedicated her life to helping people. It’s fantastic that she receives this recognition. I can’t think of anybody more deserving.”
Motivated by a deep connection to serving mankind, Pamela Buffett has been particularly drawn to social justice organizations, scholarships that connect students to an education, and improving the quality of life for people with special needs.
During her time in high school, Buffett said she was grateful to Central’s commitment to connecting and embracing a variety of cultures to build a diverse community. She said being immersed in Central’s actively inclusive environment gave her the lifetime gift of a deep respect for humanity, and this has greatly influenced the mission and purpose of her philanthropy.
Buffett is a 1964 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Education and Human Sciences. She was a kindergarten teacher in the Chicago area for 25 years.
Fred Buffett was a humanitarian and a passionate marathon runner. He died in 1997 of kidney cancer. He was a first cousin to Warren Buffett. Their fathers, Fred W. Buffett, and Howard Buffett, respectively, were brothers.
Pamela Buffett lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., with her husband, Dusty Fleming, also originally from Omaha.
Here is the Omaha World-Herald story on the Hall of Fame induction class.
Pamela i dont know if you will see this but i have to thank you for the buffet center. my name is david hansen and i was diagnoced with bladder cancer.i went to the buffet center and by gods grace i found dr. chad Lagrange.he saved my life and so did you.I will never be able to repay you and dr. lagrange but i thank god for you every day.