Dr. William McIntyre ’68 funds a second advisor position in the Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education
His $1 million gift will help prepare students for the challenges of medical school and life as a physician
Dr. William McIntyre ’68 funds a second advisor position in the Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education
Dr. William McIntyre’s grandmother would be proud of her grandson and his decision to give $1 million to endow an advisor position in Miami University’s Mallory-Wilson Center for Healthcare Education.
Because of her, education is the “thread” that runs through his family.
Dr. McIntyre’s grandfather died when his father was only 6. While his father attended a one-room schoolhouse in “a bump in the road” in Illinois, his grandmother, now a single parent, took on accounting positions, house cleaning assignments, and other odd jobs to help further his education. Dr. McIntyre’s father became the first in his family to earn a college degree.
“I just marvel how my grandmother pushed my dad through,” he said. “She was willing to kill herself to put him through school. She deserves a lot of credit for this gift.”
Helping students achieve a medical career
Dr. McIntyre ’68, who majored in Biological Sciences, decided to endow the Mallory-Wilson Center’s second advisor position, which will be named after him, to thank Miami for the foundational education he received from his professors.
The center in the College of Arts and Science provides resources, information, and support that enables students to make informed decisions regarding the issues facing today's healthcare professionals. Programs and services include the Premedical and Pre-Health Studies Co-Major, Premedical Living Learning Community, internships, scholarships, and professional advising.
He previously created the William W. McIntyre Scholarship Fund to help support two health sciences students.
“I’m pleased that I can help future Miami University students aspire and achieve a career in medicine,” Dr. McIntyre said. “I credit the academic excellence and all-around campus experience I had in Oxford with allowing me to launch a 52-year path of education and the practice of medicine. The academic curriculum at Miami allowed me to obtain a first-class education at some of the finest centers of excellence in medicine — the University of Chicago, Emory University, and the University of Minnesota.”
Dr. William McIntyre ’68 visited the Oxford campus this spring for the first time since he graduated. He showed his wife, Dr. Laura Martin, the iconic sites he fondly recalls. They also toured the Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness Facility and McVey Data Science, making him want to return to Miami and "do it all over again."
For 14 years, Dr. McIntyre was a hospitalist and gastroenterologist in an underserved area on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. In 1990, he moved to the Cheyenne V.A. Medical Center in Wyoming where he set up the endoscopy lab and liver and oncology clinics. He served two terms as chief of medicine.
Over the years, he was also an associate professor of Medicine with the Medical College of Virginia, the University of Colorado Medical School, and the University of Wyoming Family Practice Residency. During that time, he discovered many classes for undergraduates are taught by graduate students and teaching assistants and not professors. His experience at Miami was that the vast majority of classes were taught by professors.
Deciding on Miami
The McIntyre family moved several times while William was growing up as his dad earned his master’s and doctorate in Economic Geography. At the same time, his mom was continuing her educational career as well. She had emigrated with her family from England when she was 6 and was the first in her family to graduate from college. She eventually became a professor emeritus of Childhood Education at George Washington University and was one of the co-founders of the Head Start Program.
While William’s family was at West Texas State College (he was still a preteen), his father became great friends with Roy Reinhart ’41, who founded and chaired the Department of Geology at West Texas State.
Several years later, when it came time for William to choose a college, he knew he wanted a well-rounded experience and a great education in a place that felt safe and not too big. He also wanted to run track. His dad put him in touch with Professor Reinhart, who was now back at his alma mater in Oxford, Ohio, teaching paleontology.
William and his dad packed up the car and came to tour the campus. They stayed with Reinhart, who introduced the teen to several faculty members and the track coach.
“I came out here and I loved it. I don't even remember if I applied anywhere else,” he said. “I got early acceptance, and it was exactly what I wanted.”
A track walk-on, he’ll never forget the start of his training for cross-country season his freshman year.
“Coach put us through all kinds of hundreds, 220s, a couple of quarters, etc., and then he called us over. I said, ‘Boy, that was a nice workout.’ Coach grinned and said, ‘But that was the warm-up.’”
Returning to campus 56 years later
Father to a daughter and two sons, all grown, Dr. McIntyre retired in 2016 and lives with his wife, Dr. Laura Martin, in Fort Collins, Colorado. They returned to Oxford this spring, his first visit since he graduated in 1968.
“I'm just blown away by what Miami has done here in the last few years,” he said, and asked what he could do to pay it back to all the people who have helped him. He decided to fund a second faculty member to advise students and prepare them for the challenges of medical school and of being a physician.
“I’ve had a good life. No regrets,” he said. “I would love to come back to Miami and do it all over again.”
