[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8085]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF THE CLOWES FUND

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor The Clowes 
Fund and family whose philanthropic contributions have positively 
impacted countless Hoosiers in my hometown of Indianapolis.
  Dr. George Henry Alexander Clowes, his wife Edith Whitehill Clowes 
and their two sons, Allen W. Clowes and Dr. George H.A. Clowes, Jr., 
incorporated The Clowes Fund in 1952 to support education along with 
literary, performing, and fine arts. Social services soon became 
another focus for support. A rare combination of scientist and 
entrepreneur, the senior Dr. Clowes was director of research at Eli 
Lilly and Company who in 1921 mobilized Lilly resources to mass produce 
and market an insulin treatment that would save the lives of millions 
of diabetics. Lilly's subsequent growth as a pharmaceutical giant 
contributed to Dr. Clowes' personal success, giving rise to the Fund, 
an extensive art collection and other philanthropic endeavors. Mrs. 
Clowes was actively involved in a variety of educational, cultural and 
social service interests in the community; she was a co-founder of the 
Orchard School and Planned Parenthood. Their story is told in The Doc 
and the Duchess, The Life and Legacy of Dr. George H.A. Clowes, written 
by their grandson, Dr. Alexander (Alec) Whitehill Clowes.
  Alec joined The Clowes Fund board at age 21 and served from 1967-
2015, and as president 2001-2015. Early in his tenure he was intimately 
involved in planning the Clowes Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of 
Art (IMA) for exhibition of the Clowes Collection on long term loan. 
Later, he helped guide the board toward a decision to transfer 
ownership of the Collection to the IMA, a process that will culminate 
by 2023 when Indianapolis celebrates the centennial of insulin. In the 
early 1990's, Alec was a uniting force that prevented the foundation 
from being divided by family branches. Unity is a legacy of his 
leadership as he made it a priority to recruit a fourth generation of 
family members to serve the foundation's mission.
  Since its founding, The Clowes Fund has awarded $37.3 million in 
funding to nonprofit organizations in Indianapolis. Recent grant gifts 
include more than $550,000 to local Centers for Working Families, a 
service delivery model designed to move families out of poverty and 
toward a more self-sufficient standard of living, and nearly $2 million 
to support services for immigrants, refugees and asylees in our 
community. The Fund has also transferred art valued at approximately 
$25.3 million from the Clowes Collection to the Indianapolis Museum of 
Art with another $25 million in support scheduled over the next few 
years to ensure the collection remains intact and in Indianapolis. In 
addition to grantmaking, The Clowes Fund has left a lasting legacy in 
Indianapolis by donating its grant files to the Ruth Lilly 
Philanthropic Studies Library and Archives at IUPUI. The Clowes family 
also donated personal papers and mementos to the Indiana History 
Center.
  Our community continues to benefit from the foundation's mission to 
support organizations and projects that build a more just and equitable 
society, create opportunities for initiatives, foster creativity and 
the growth of knowledge, and promote appreciation of the natural 
environment. Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing The 
Clowes Fund for its dedicated efforts to improve our community.

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