Margaret Ann Olvey leaves estate gift of $450,000 for Geriatric Research

Pablo Picasso once said, "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

Margaret Ann Olvey found her gift in teaching and spent much of her life doing so in Shreveport, Louisiana, before making her home in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1991. Educating others and positively impacting the communities around her were two of Margaret's passions. During her lifetime, she established the Margaret Ann Olvey Trust in which she included UAMS, among others as beneficiaries. Margaret's trust allowed her to plan ahead to ensure that her legacy would live on and she could continue to impact others long after her last student graduated.

After her passing in January 2014, UAMS received $450,000 to benefit geriatric research at the UAMS Reynolds Institute on Aging. "With such thoughtful gifts from our generous donors come the promise of realizing the dream of a brighter future for seniors tomorrow. We are deeply grateful to Ms. Olvey for her support of research dedicated to finding better treatments of common age-related conditions," said Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Reynolds Institute on Aging.

The Margaret Ann Olvey Fund directly supports research in the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity in the Department of Geriatrics which focuses on metabolic alterations with aging. One of the main efforts in the center focuses on the loss of muscle and functional capability in seniors. Researchers continue to investigate nutritional, exercise, and pharmacological interventions targeted to the maintenance of muscle strength and function with advancing age. These studies extend to the common conditions associated with aging, such as falls, heart failure, hospitalization, major surgery, and diabetes.

Shannon Fleming, Ph.D., Senior Director of Development for the Reynolds Institute on Aging, said "Ms. Olvey had the vision to establish a planned gift that is now providing support for vital research so that the Reynolds Institute on Aging can continue its efforts in providing first class health care and a better quality of life for the seniors of Arkansas and the nation. Her planned gift will touch countless lives for decades to come."