A host of dignitaries, family and friends—including former U.S. President George H.W. Bush
and his wife, Barbara—cut the ribbon to officially open UGA’s Paul D. Coverdell Center for
Biomedical and Health Sciences. The $40 million center houses 25 research centers in 135,000
square feet. (Photo by Paul Efland)
Forgetting its groundbreaking potential for innovative research and advancement for health studies, laying aside its ability to draw in thousands of dollars toward development of cures or treatments and casting off its sheer size and structure, the most remarkable thing about the Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences might be its parallels to its namesake.
Friends and associates of the late Sen. Coverdell converged at the building dedication April 7 to remember the statesman and his contributions to education and health care. Speakers, including politicians and higher education administrators, returned many times to Coverdell’s ability to narrow the gulfs of political division and focus on results.
Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and wife Barbara attended the dedication, which drew more than 1,000 spectators. Bush, a longtime friend and ally of the Republican senator, appointed Coverdell to head the Peace Corps in 1989. But it wasn’t his contributions to the GOP that the president spoke of.
“In the Washington world of bitter partisanship, Paul was the voice of reason. . . He was a man who transcended the political partisanship that I’m afraid now dominates the Capitol,” Bush said.
“It’s ugly up there, and we need more people like Paul Coverdell.”
The spirit of cooperation is not just helpful, but necessary for progress, said Patricia Thomas, Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“Most of us learn more when we ask the right questions, and experience teaches that these questions are easier to frame with help from people with expertise different from our own. That’s why many of today’s best biomedical questions are being asked by interdisciplinary teams,” she said.
“How do seemingly tiny errors in genetic expression give rise to profound, heart-breaking birth defects? What makes a person’s immune system savage those pancreatic cells and cause diabetes? These are two of the questions being pursued inside the Coverdell Center.”
The $40 million center, which stands across from the College of Veterinary Medicine on D.W. Brooks Drive, houses
25 research centers in 135,000 square feet. Its ability to cobble together research interests and departments should be an intellectual and economic boon to the university and the state, according to Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, who spoke at a private luncheon before the dedication.
“This great new facility exists because of the types of partnerships that Sen. Coverdell worked to create and to sustain. Funding from this facility came from a partnership, which included the federal government, state support and internal funds from the University of Georgia,” Davis said.
“What this also means is that while some of UGA’s share of constructing this building came from private donors, the facility will be supported by research funding that the faculty will generate in the future.”
Nancy Coverdell (left) discusses with former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, his wife, Barbara, and Frederick E. Cooper a portrait based on a photo of her husband taken during his time serving with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Nancy Coverdell and UGA President Michael F. Adams unveil a plaque inside the new facility. (Photos by Paul Efland)
Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush draws some laughter from Adams during his speech. (Photo by Peter Frey)
Top photo, Melissa A. Cabinian, a Foundation Fellow and senior health sciences and microbiology major, shakes hands with Adams.
(Photo by Peter Frey)
Bottom photo, spectators take snapshots of former President Bush during the dedication. (Photo by Paul Efland)
Above, visitors to the reception partake of refreshments at the Coverdell Center’s garden.
(Photo by Peter Frey)
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