A Country Doctor Leaves his Legacy with UB

Class of 1946 University at Buffalo medical reunion.

In 1942, at the height of World War II, George Ellis, MD ’45, was awarded early admission to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences after only three years of college. Due to the war and the need for physicians, UB, like many medical schools around the country, offered accelerated medical education programs.

The war ended six weeks after Ellis began his internship. With many injured troops returning home needing medical care, Ellis was assigned to the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. There, he met Gladys Kelly—who went by Kelly—a nurse at the facility whom he later married.

The couple relocated to Connersville, Ind., where they set up practice in his aunt’s former home and treated patients for more than five decades.

Ellis remained engaged with UB—making significant gifts and serving in various capacities, including as a long-time member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Jacobs School, making it to every single class reunion until 2010, when he was too ill to attend. 

Deeply humble, Ellis chose to remain anonymous about his philanthropic intentions until after both he and Kelly passed away. While the university was aware of the gift’s value in 2011, the couple’s names were not revealed until 2018 following Kelly’s death. Together with earlier contributions, their donations total more than $57 million, supporting the construction of the Jacobs School’s downtown Buffalo building and establishing the George M. Ellis Jr. and Kelly Ellis Professorship in Family Medicine. Their legacy continues to elevate the school’s excellence and impact for future generations.

Photo courtesy of University Archives