Mr. Stowers was recognized for his achievements in business and philanthropy. He founded his mutual fund company, American Century Investments, in 1958. Today, the company employs 1,800 people and manages $96 billion in assets for more than 1.6 million shareholders.

     In 1994, Mr. Stowers and his wife, Virginia, founded the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. As cancer survivors, the Stowers wanted to give future generations better medical options when faced with serious illness.

     Since their initial gift of $50 million in American Century stock, the Stowers have contributed several larger gifts and have taken an active role in designing the 600,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. The Institute's endowment is currently worth more than $2 billion.

     The Institute aspires to be one of the most innovative biomedical research organizations in the world. Stowers scientists conduct basic research on genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells to unlock the mysteries of disease and find the keys to their causes, treatment, and prevention.

     “Those of us who have the honor of working with Jim and Virginia continually receive inspiration from their vision for making the Stowers Institute the finest possible environment for basic biomedical research,” said William B. Neaves, President and CEO of the Stowers Institute. “We are so pleased to see Jim recognized by Washington University, an institution in the front rank of the world’s leading research institutions.”