When the late Bum Bright’s name comes up in conversation, most folks immediately think of his tenure as “owner” of the Dallas Cowboys (1984 to 1989). But for those who remember the days when the Texas A&M graduate was making deals and raising funds for friends like the late Texas Gov. Bill Clements, Bum was the real stuff, not just a writer’s idea of a Texas legend.
He was a man’s man in every sense of the word. While he may have started out in the gas and oil lease business following World War II, he expanded to trucking, banking and real estate. Anything that involved a deal was for him. He loved making deals and he was good at it … very good.
But he was also a man of his word. According to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, “Our agreement on the purchase of the Dallas Cowboys was finalized with a few notes on a napkin and a handshake. With Bum, his word meant everything.”
What some folks might not realize is there was another side to this man. It was philanthropy. As much as he loved building an empire that Fortune claimed made him “one of the wealthiest of the nation’s ‘private rich,’” he knew all too well the pain of being in need that stemmed back to his childhood. As he told the Washington Post’s Myra MacPherson in 1984, “Every kid I grew up with had more money than I did. I wore clothes given to me by friends who were bigger than I. Leather patches on sweaters were fashionable, but we really needed them.”
And that memory of being down on your luck carried into adulthood. When he returned from World War II and got into the gas and oil business with his former Texas A&M roommate Herbert Schiff, they “barely had enough cash to buy a loaf of bread, and Schiff had to scrounge up a few cents for a jar of peanut butter.”
One organization benefiting from Bum’s philanthropy has been Children’s Medical Center. In addition to serving as chairman of its board for a more than a decade, he shared his wealth through Bright Industries. As Bum said, “I give it time and I give it money”—$3M to Children’s Health in 1999 alone.
Bum’s dedication and generosity made more than a lasting impression on his children.
It was announced today that Bright Industries was making a $7.5M donation for the expansion of Children’s Medical Center Plano.
In acknowledgment of “the largest philanthropic gift in the Plano hospital’s history and one of the largest donations made in Collin County,” the facility’s new emergency department will bear the Bright family name.
According to Bum’s son Chris Bright, “Children’s Health is, and has been, a tremendous contributor to the Dallas/Fort Worth community for more years than I can remember. Their devotion to serving and protecting our youngest and most vulnerable has inspired the Bright family’s admiration for most of our lives. Bum Bright was honored to serve on their board for many years, and the Bright family is equally honored to be able to participate in helping Children’s Health in their continued growth and service to this area with their amazing plans for their Plano facility. Thank you for what you do.”
With the campus expansion due for completion in 2024, the “new emergency department will be relocated to provide increased space and state-of-the-art equipment and resources critical to the hospital’s Level 4 Trauma Center to serve the growing pediatric population in this region. It will also include dedicated behavioral health treatment rooms.”
In recognition of the Bright family’s generational generosity and support, Children’s Health President/CEO Chris Durovich said, “Through their years of giving across many generations, the Bright family has been alongside us supporting the needs of patients and families. We are extremely grateful for their generous gift to our Plano campus expansion and for their continuing commitment to helping us deliver outstanding pediatric care in North Texas.”
Also included in the expansion is “a new 395,000-square-foot tower to house expanded specialty care programs, such as cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, orthopedics and neurology, among others. The new tower, which will nearly double the size of the hospital facility, will increase the total number of available beds from 72 to 240.”
Children’s Medical Center Foundation President Brent Christopher explained the need for the expansion this way: “As a nonprofit hospital system for kids, philanthropic support is critical to ensure we’re ready to meet the wide-ranging needs of our community’s growing pediatric population.”
*Graphic/photo provided by Children's Medical Center Foundation
