Posted September 19, 2000

IOWA CITY -- A $1.5 million gift from Dr. Lawrence Dorr and Marilyn Dorr of La Canada-Flintridge, Calif., will fund an endowed chair in specialized orthopaedics research at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. The gift was made to the University of Iowa Foundation to create the Lawrence and Marilyn Dorr Chair in Hip Reconstruction and Research.

"Dr. and Mrs. Dorr's generosity will enable the College of Medicine to support a top physician/scientist in pioneering new hip reconstruction techniques," said Joseph A. Buckwalter IV, M.D., professor and head of orthopaedics at the UI College of Medicine. "As a leading teaching institution, we will be able to translate the Dorrs' gift and the insights it stimulates into improved health, mobility, and well-being for untold numbers of patients worldwide."

The $1.5 million gift will be invested through the UI Foundation. Earnings from the endowment will be used to support the activities of the chair recipient and enhance orthopaedics research at Iowa. Buckwalter said that a prominent faculty member will be named to the Lawrence and Marilyn Dorr Chair in Hip Reconstruction and Research.

Lawrence Dorr received his M.D. degree from the University of Iowa in 1967 and an M.S. degree in 1965. Son of a Methodist minister, the native Iowan attended medical school on scholarships. Now senior surgeon at the Bone and Joint Institute in Los Angeles, Dorr has participated in the design of widely used orthopaedic implants.

He credits much of his success to his University of Iowa training. "The quality of education I received from the Iowa medical school allowed me always to be in a good position throughout my medical career," said Dorr. "I believe I should give something back to Iowa in recognition for what Iowa did for me."

Marilyn Dorr also attended the University of Iowa and worked as a secretary at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics while her husband attended medical school. After the couple's children were grown, Mrs. Dorr became a successful businesswoman, and now owns a retail cosmetics store in Pasadena. In 1999 she received the Pasadena YWCA's annual community service award.

"With their outstanding support, Dr. and Mrs. Dorr are providing UI medical students and physicians with the resources to be of healing service to their patients," commented Stephen T. Sanders, UI Foundation vice president for development programs. "It speaks volumes for the UI College of Medicine, and for the caliber and character of physicians it trains, when an alumnus remembers his alma mater so generously."

The UI Foundation is the preferred channel for private contributions to all areas of the university. Foundation staff work with alumni and friends to generate funds for scholarships, professorships, facilities improvements, equipment purchases, research, and other UI initiatives.

Contact Information

Stephen T. Sanders
Vice President, Development Programs
(319) 335-3305 or (800) 648-6973

Additional information about supporting the UI College of Medicine also is available on this site.