IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION for the honorable Stowers Institute.
RESOLUTION NO. 22240, April 13, 2026
Intro
INTRODUCED BY Manuel Abarca IV, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, in November 2000, the Stowers Institute opened its doors and bestowed upon us an ambitious and selfless mission - to understand how life works at its most foundational level for the betterment of humanity; and,
WHEREAS, in 1994, Jim and Virginia Stowers founded the Stowers Institute, sparked by their own personal cancer experience; and,
WHEREAS, the Institute purchased the former Menorah Medical Center with plans to turn it into a research campus building; and,
WHEREAS, the Stowers completed a 10-acre research campus set with a grand opening in 2000; and,
WHEREAS, the Stowers’ vision for an innovative institute develops; they ensure a smooth path from foundational discovery to practical application through BioMed Valley Discoveries; and,
WHEREAS, the Institute formed a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing laboratory discoveries to address unmet patient needs across a wide spectrum of diseases; and,
WHEREAS, in 2011, the Graduate School was established to "prepare a superb cadre of predoctoral researchers from around the world for the pursuit of innovative and creative investigations in the biological sciences”; and,
WHEREAS, the Stowers Summer Scholars Program, an intensive internship for undergraduates interested in a research career, launches with generous funding from the Stowers Foundation; and,
WHEREAS, in March of 2014, founding member James E. Stowers Jr. passed away at the age of 90, leaving behind his wife, Virginia; and,
WHEREAS, in June of 2021, the co-founder of the Institute, Virginia Stowers, passed away in Kansas City at the age of 91, seven years after her husband; and,
WHEREAS, in 2024, the Stowers Institute surpassed 2,000 publications, a milestone reflecting the breadth and impact of its scientific output across all types of research papers, including those published as an affiliated institution; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Jackson County Legislature commends the Stowers Institute on their accomplishments in the field of science.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 22240 of April 13, 2026, was duly passed on ______________________, 2026 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _________________ Nays ______________
Abstaining _____________ Absent ____________
_________________________ _____________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature