John E. Gilmore, M.D., of Santa Monica, Calif., recently completed plans with the University of Nebraska Foundation to create the John E. Gilmore, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and the John E. Gilmore, M.D., Distinguished Scholarship fund with a future $1 million gift from his estate. The gift will benefit UNMC’s department of ophthalmology and medical students attending the UNMC College of Medicine.
According to Carl Camras, M.D., chairman of UNMC’s department of ophthalmology, the eventual establishment of the Gilmore professorship will enhance the university’s ability to attract prominent educators and researchers in the area of ophthalmology.
“Dr. Gilmore’s gift will provide critical funding needed to support the educational and research activities of renowned medical scholars,” Dr. Camras said. “This support will further allow investigators to unravel the mysteries surrounding diseases of the eye such as macular degeneration. We are thankful for his consideration of our future needs.”
Gilmore graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1939. Following a residency in ophthalmology in India, he went on to practice medicine in Southern California.
A native of Murray, Neb., Gilmore maintains a strong allegiance to the state and particularly the area where he grew up. Through his estate plans, he also has designated funding for a scholarship fund to benefit students attending the UNMC College of Medicine with preference given to graduates of Cass County high schools. He is involved in the Cass County Historical Society, an organization his father, Dr. George Gilmore, established in 1936.
“The cost of a medical education today is tremendous,” Gilmore said. “When I was in school tuition was $100 per semester. Now it is $12,000 a year plus living expenses. I hope this scholarship will help students financially.”