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Thursday night, UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and six other prominent Omaha business leaders were inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Maurer was inducted for his leadership of the medical center through a period of unprecedented growth that saw UNMC become an economic engine for Omaha and the state of Nebraska as a whole.
During comments at the reception, Dr. Maurer said it’s important to think “big.”
“Small ideas are uninspiring,” he said. “They generally die. So why not develop big ideas? They generate excitement and enthusiasm.
Dr. Maurer told the audience that his time as chancellor is most notable for his emphasis on research.
“If you want to be world-class, you have to do research. It’s the only way,” he said. “We want to be the best in the world in research. We want to cure Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease … and cancer.
“You have to recruit the best faculty and staff. My cornerstone will say, ‘Hal Maurer … .built research at UNMC.’ That’s my legacy.”
Since Dr. Maurer became chancellor in 1998, some of the research highlights have included creation of the Durham Research Plaza, construction of the Durham Research Center and Durham Research Center II, and UNMC taking the lead on getting the Nebraska State Legislature to pass LB 692, the 2001 Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Initiative.
The initiative continues to provide millions of dollars each year to the state’s four biomedical research institutions — UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton University and Boys Town National Research Hospital. In addition to funding a variety of research projects, UNMC has used money from LB 692 to recruit and retain some of its outstanding scientists.
A crowd of 835 was in attendance at Qwest Center Omaha for the annual Hall of Fame event. Those in attendance included Dr. Maurer’s wife, Beverly, and their two daughters and sons-in-law — Wendy and Mark Linsky, and Ann and David Rosenbach, M.D., both of Tampa, Fla.
The Omaha Business Hall of Fame started in 1993 and since then only 100 people have been inducted. Notable past honorees include C.R. “Bob” Bell, Rose Blumkin, Warren Buffett and Peter Kiewit. Bell is former chairman of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and now serves as vice president for UNeMed, UNMC’s licensing and marketing firm.
In addition to Dr. Maurer, this year’s other inductees were:
- Robert Bates, retired insurance executive, Lincoln Financial Group;
- Deryl Hamann, senior counsel, Baird Holm LLP law firm;
- Frank Hayes, president/managing director, Hayes & Associates, LLC;
- the late Clarence Landen, CEO and founder of Central National Insurance Company and executive vice president and founder of Securities Acceptance, Corp.;
- Michael Simmonds, chairman, Simmonds Restaurant Management; and
- Pamela Watanabe Gerdes, founder and former, CEO, Tender Heart Treasures, Ltd., THT Designs, Inc.
Each of the recipients were highlighted in a video, then brought to the podium to deliver their acceptance speech and receive their Hall of Fame medallion from David Brown, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Maurer came to Omaha in 1993 to become dean of the UNMC College of Medicine after 25 years as a physician-scientist at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
During his comments on Thursday night, Dr. Maurer saluted all the faculty and staff at UNMC for their outstanding support, and he also singled out several people for special recognition. First and foremost was his wife of 49 years, Beverly.
“She’s the love of my life,” Dr. Maurer said. “A greater advocate for UNMC does not exist.”
He also acknowledged Gov. Dave Heineman and U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson for their ongoing support of UNMC as well as his “kitchen cabinet,” a group of some of Omaha’s top business leaders that provides the chancellor with its outside perspective and expertise.
Over the years, the cabinet has included Walter Scott, Jr., Michael Yanney, John Gottschalk, Bruce Lauritzen, Mogens Bay, Ken Stinson and the late Chuck Durham. Six of these men have already been inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame.
One of the lighter moments of the night came when Simmonds made his acceptance speech right after Dr. Maurer was honored.
Simmonds, who owned more than 80 fast food restaurants including several Burger King, Taco John’s and Jimmy John’s franchises, commented.
“I didn’t hear Hal thank me for how (UNMC’s) cardiac care unit has been supported by my customer base,” Simmonds said.
Simmonds, in fact, has been a huge supporter of UNMC. Since 2004, Simmonds Restaurant Management has raised more than $695,000 for pediatric cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center through its BK Beat Cancer for Kids program.
The event was sponsored by Fraser Stryker, PC, LLO, KPMG LLP, Midwest Airlines and U.S. Bank.
Click here to see a list of Dr. Maurer’s career highlights.