Creating Futures | University of Colorado Boulder

During the 12 years that Jeannie Thompson (Zoology ’64) worked in research labs, she witnessed the incredible discoveries that occur when great minds come together, especially across disciplines.

That experience and others motivated Jeannie and her husband Jack (Hist ‘64) to pledge $2 million towards the Vaccine Development Laboratory in the university's Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building.  

The gift will bolster the capacity of the Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology (CIMB) to spearhead scientific and medical advances. CIMB scientists, led by renowned researcher Leslie Leinwand and Nobel laureate Tom Cech, are working at the crossroads of science and engineering on projects such as the creation of cancer-detecting sensors and synthetic human tissue, as well as the development of new vaccines and pharmaceuticals.

Now, as she and her husband lead the way as volunteer chairs of the Creating Futures campaign on the Boulder campus, Jeannie wants to inspire others. The Thompsons’ support for CU runs deep.  For over 40 years the couple has generously supported the university as dedicated volunteers and major donors to several programs.

“CU has served as a bookend for us,” Jack Thompson said. “It was there for us before I went to Vietnam, and it was there for us after I returned from the war. We want CU to always be here.”

With the support of generous people like the Thompsons, CU’s bright future is assured.