About Our Namesake


Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion will remain the epitome of a philanthropist and leader; her work at TCU has made a truly transformational difference for the university. In fact, she comes from a family with a 100-year history of participating in and supporting important initiatives at TCU. 

By TCU School of Medicine

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum/Photo by Robert Wood

About Anne Burnett Marion

Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion will remain the epitome of a philanthropist and leader; her work at TCU has made a truly transformational difference for the university. In fact, she comes from a family with a 100-year history of participating in and supporting important initiatives at TCU.

Before her passing in February 2020, Mrs. Marion said, “I am inspired by the vision of the School of Medicine to transform medical education. This school is bringing considerable advances and innovations that are reshaping curriculum and preparing its graduates to better serve the community. I am pleased to make this gift.”

Facts About Anne Burnett Marion

  • Anne Burnett Marion was a member of the Board of Trustees of TCU, serving as a Trustee 1979-1992, Emeritus Trustee 1992-2006, and Honorary Trustee 2006 until her death on February 12, 2020.
  • She established the renowned Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she served as chairman of the museum for 20 years.
  • In Fort Worth, she was a primary influence and benefactor of the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, and the driving force behind the museum’s internationally renowned building, designed by acclaimed architect Tadao Ando, which opened in December 2002.
  • For 40 years, she also served as a director on the board of the Kimbell Art Museum.
  • In addition to serving as chairman of the Burnett Ranches, she was the chairman and founder of the Burnett Oil company and president of The Burnett Foundation.
  • Her holdings included the historic Four Sixes Ranch in King County, Texas. The 6666 Ranch is world-renowned for its Black Angus cattle and American Quarter Horses. At the time of her death, the three ranches encompassed 275,000 acres.
  • Over nearly 40 years, the Burnett Foundation has distributed more than $600 million in charitable grants, supporting arts and humanities; community development; education, health and human services.
  • Marion served as a director of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and was the namesake of the Marion Emergency Care Center at the hospital.
  • She was director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; member of the Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; and director emeritus of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
  • Other past directorships included the board of regents of Texas Tech University, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Fort Worth Stock Show.
  • Her many awards include the Great Woman of Texas (2003); the Bill King Award for Agriculture in 2007; and in 1996 the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, in Santa Fe, N.M. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2005; the American Quarter Horse Association’s Hall of Fame in 2007 and The Great Hall of Westerners National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2009.