Philanthropy has been a driving force of success since the 1950s, when Tom Slick’s sister, Betty Slick Moorman, started a private fine dining club dedicated to supporting scientific research at the Institute. Today, our strong community of supporters continue this grand tradition in inspiring ways.
The Argyle in 1936
The Argyle
In 1954, Dr. Harold Vagtborg, the Institute’s first president, and Betty Slick Moorman, founder Tom Slick’s sister, discussed ways to interest more women in the Institute’s research and build a base of support. With her eye on The Argyle, a stately historic inn that had fallen into disrepair, Betty suggested transforming it into a dining club whose members would donate to research.
Originally constructed as a ranch house in 1859, the building was expanded into a hotel the 1890s. For 50 years, The Argyle Hotel welcomed guests and became well-known for its fine Southern cuisine and hospitality. After the operators retired in 1941, the building deteriorated and was a boarding house for a time.
It took two years to purchase and renovate the property, but already Betty had recruited several hundred members, some of whom donated furniture, furnishings and artwork, and even helped paint. The grand opening in May 1956 generated headlines across the country.
Betty Slick Moorman
Today, The Argyle remains a steadfast pillar of support for Texas Biomed with 1,100 resident and 400 non-resident members. Initial member fees and annual dues generate more than $1 million a year to power biomedical research.
“It’s truly one of a kind,” said Richard Bundick, The Argyle General Manager. “While there are other clubs associated with universities, I don’t know of any with this special type of relationship.”
Members are proud to be part of something bigger, supporting research that saves lives and tackles some of the biggest health challenges in the news, said Chris Petty, The Argyle President.
“People are absolutely blown away as they learn more about what Texas Biomed does,” Petty said. “We are so fortunate to have such talented scientists in San Antonio and are excited to play a small part in their extraordinary work.”
THE TEXAS BIOMEDICAL FORUM
The desire to become more actively involved and support the Institute did not stop with Betty Slick Moorman and The Argyle. In 1970, Dottie Block, Ruth Eilene Sullivan and Tena Gorman established the Southwest Foundation Forum, reflecting the Institute’s name at the time.
“We had a lot of very energetic friends, and the idea caught on because of the interest in research and medicine,” recalled Gorman in our 2017 Annual Report.
Today, The Forum continues to be a formidable force bringing together women passionate about supporting Texas Biomed through community relations, volunteer service and fundraising.
“The Forum provides such a unique combination of philanthropy, education, fun and friendship,” said Amelita Mauzé, who has been involved for nearly 20 years, including as the 2021-2022 Forum President. “It’s a local organization that connects you with an extraordinary group of women while supporting research that has the potential to improve lives around the world.”
Through charitable events and the much-anticipated annual Forum Gala, the women have raised more than $5.6 million to support early-phase research grants, student scholarships and new faculty.
The small seed grants have helped advance novel ideas and generate data that have then been awarded more than $90 million in larger grants from the National Institutes of Health and other funders.
“Knowing our fundraising helps launch research that often leads to significant discoveries and larger federal grants is really exciting,” Mauzé said.
For example, it was funding from The Forum in 1979 that enabled the initial development of the premature baboon as a research model for premature babies and the development of the high-frequency oscillatory ventilator, which has since saved countless young lives around the globe.
GOLDEN CIRCLE
In 1977, The Golden Circle was launched to draw in a broad community of supporters, including individual donors, businesses and foundations. Distinguished members have provided substantial funding that has ensured research continues to advance and the Institute to grow.
In addition to annual giving, Golden Circle members have helped lead the charge on major capital campaigns that have transformed the campus with new labs and buildings, as well as rapid initiatives like those that enabled critical research studies at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Texas Biomed has been on the leading edge of medicine and science for decades,” said Richard Kardys, Board of Trustees Emeritus Member and longtime Golden Circle member with his spouse Jessie Kardys. “Jessie and I feel a deep sense of joy in knowing that our gifts to Texas Biomed have helped save a huge number of lives in America and across the world.”
Founder’s Council
In 1988, Institute supporter Bruce Bugg looked around Golden Circle fundraising events and thought more community members around his age, which at the time was early-30s, should be learning about the work of Texas Biomed.
Together with board member Jim Gormam, Bugg and others established Founder’s Council as a dedicated avenue for young professionals to become involved. The group is tailored especially for individuals between 25 and 46, the ages when Tom Slick Jr. founded the Institute and when he died in a small plane crash.
A clever concept then, the organization still feels unique in today’s nonprofit world.
“It can be daunting for younger people to get involved in philanthropic boards because there is typically a high barrier to entry – you don’t know where to start and it can be prohibitively expensive,” said Tom Bugg, Founder’s Council Treasurer. “Founder’s Council creates space for younger people earlier in their careers to gain that experience, while supporting incredible scientific and healthcare research that lifts everyone up.”
During events throughout the year, Founder’s Council members interact directly with Texas Biomed researchers, raise funds for the Institute and connect with other like-minded individuals passionate about science and philanthropy. Almost inevitably, members become vocal champions of Texas Biomed and scientific research within the community.
Honoring J. Bruce Bugg Jr. 1954-2025
From an early age, Bruce Bugg provided respected leadership at the local and state levels, was chair and trustee of the Tobin endowment, and helped establish several nonprofit organizations, including the Bexar County Performing Arts Center Foundation and Founder’s Council.
Bruce Bugg, who helped launch Founder’s Council, and Bobby Cavender, who served as the first President of Founder’s Council, at a Texas Biomed event in 2022.
“I think he would be very happy that one of his ideas on how to help Texas Biomed, an organization that he cared about a lot, is continuing to help the Institute sustain itself and grow its base of supporters in the community,” said son Tom Bugg, who is serving as Founder’s Council Treasurer. “I’m certainly very proud of him and honored to be able to carry on a little bit of his legacy by being on the board.”
“Once you learn more about Texas Biomed, it kind of blows your mind,” said Kennedy Hatfield Asel, Founder’s Council President. “Everybody becomes really proud that we have this level of research happening here in our backyard. You can’t help but want to talk about it with your friends and family.”
Over the past six years, Founder’s Council has distributed more than $400,000 in equipment grants to Texas Biomed scientists. These grants fill an important gap that is difficult to cover through other mechanisms – often too large for annual lab budgets but too small or not allowed for larger research grants designated for specific projects. The support has enabled Texas Biomed researchers to acquire critical tools, such a portable X-ray machine, powerful software for tissue analysis and an advanced single-cell RNA sequencing machine, which are then used for countless studies into infectious and chronic diseases.
Hearing from the scientists about how the equipment has helped them conduct lifesaving research is genuinely rewarding for Founder’s Council members.
“Where else can you have this kind of access to what’s going on at an organization like Texas Biomed and have a direct impact on groundbreaking science?” Hatfield Asel said.
Founder’s Council 2026 Board Members: Julie Bell, Philip Massari, Tom Bugg, Tyler Munson, Kennedy Hatfield Asel,Shelby Plant Sekaly, Katie Kinder Debauche, Sarah Strunk Meyers, Travis Simank and Suhail Arastu
To learn more about how to get involved with The Forum, Golden Circle and Founder’s Council, please visit: txbiomed.org/support-us/giving-partners/