Mary Lou Butterworth, DO (COM '50)
Dr. Mary Lou Butterworth began her long and distinguished career in osteopathic medicine as a student at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU) in 1950. After completing a residency in anesthesia, Dr. Butterworth began teaching at KCU in 1957 and is remembered as a tough, compassionate and firm advocate for osteopathic medicine.
Throughout her career, Dr. Butterworth served the University in a variety of capacities, including president of the KCU Foundation and executive director of the KCU Alumni Association. She also served as dean of alumni affairs emeritus until she passed away on Nov. 1, 2007. Dr. Butterworth left a 54-year legacy of leadership and service to the University.
Dr. Butterworth’s impact on osteopathic medicine and KCU has not gone unnoticed. She was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 1973, received the Alumni Service Award in 1993 and received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Osteopathic College of Anesthesiology in 1995. The Butterworth Alumni Center on the KCU campus is named in honor of Dr. Butterworth and her profound impact on the University.
As distinguished as her career was, Dr. Butterworth always had an eye for the future, as she discussed during an interview in 2001.
“One question students ask me is, ‘Where is the school headed?’ I tell them we are right on the threshold of rocketing into the future. We’re going to be one of the movers and shakers of the 21st century.”
As we celebrate our centennial, we are ideally positioned to follow through on Dr. Butterworth’s vision of rocketing into the future of healthcare.
