THE PERFECT GIFT

COUPLE COMMEMORATES MILESTONES WITH PHILANTHROPY

It’s an age-old question: What do you give the person who already has everything? For college sweethearts and longtime philanthropists Janet and Ernie Cockrell, the answer was simple: Do something for others. “It started in 2019 when I asked Ernie what he wanted for Christmas,” says Janet. “He said he wanted nothing, so I asked again. He suggested giving his present to a charity. Then I called Houston Methodist.” Janet knew Houston Methodist would be a meaningful choice. Ernie is a Life Member of the hospital’s Board of Directors and founding chair of the Houston Methodist Research Institute, which houses the Virginia and Ernest Cockrell Jr. Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics (CCAT), named for Ernie’s parents. Ernie enjoyed his Christmas gift so much that Janet made a second gift several months later to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary. Two months later she made another gift, in honor of Ernie’s birthday, and then another Christmas gift. “We both get a lot of enjoyment out of it,” says Ernie. “We give in honor of one another, and these gifts satisfy the need to give each other a physical present.” Originally named only for Ernie, Janet acquiesced in 2021 and agreed upon a new name: the Janet and Ernest H. Cockrell Distinguished Award in Translational Research. Now Ernie also initiates personal gifts in honor of Janet to support this endowed fund that benefits clinical trial nurses often caring for seriously ill patients. “The Cockrells’ support of clinical trial nurses is incredibly significant,” says Pauline Todd, the system director of research in the CCAT. “These nurses have been on the front lines of COVID-19 working day and night with some of the sickest patients. Since clinical trials typically take place behind the scenes, they can be overlooked.” Native Houstonians, the Cockrells met at The University of Texas at Austin in 1963 and married after graduating. They returned to Houston to raise their family, and they have always lived their lives with faith and a servant’s heart. “Ernie and I believe that giving back is a joyous act,” says Janet. “We hope to continue sharing that philosophy through celebrating our special occasions with gifts helping others at Houston Methodist.”