Kathrine Galbreath McGovern

Kathrine G. (Dunbar Galbreath) McGovern, a proud Houstonian whose generosity and commitment to service transformed lives and helped to bolster education, the arts, and conservation efforts throughout the city, died peacefully in her home on Friday, the 1st of December 2023. She was 90 years of age.

Born to Marian and Joseph Galbreath on the 15th of September 1933, at what is now Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Kathrine’s formative years during the Great Depression taught her the importance of family, a strong work ethic, education, and community service. Growing up near the Houston neighborhood of Montrose, Kathrine observed her father often struggling to make ends meet as a builder and architect. When he unexpectedly died in 1947, Kathrine’s mother continued to instill in her and her sister, Val, the importance of hard work and service to the community. Kathrine’s education at River Oaks Elementary, Lanier Junior High, and Lamar High School reinforced those guiding principles.

In the 1950s, Kathrine began her career in Houston’s expanding medical community, becoming an office manager at the allergy clinic of John P. McGovern, MD. In 1961, the same year that Dr. McGovern started a foundation with $10,000, the couple married at the Palmer Episcopal Church, celebrating with a handful of friends and a bottle of champagne in the parking lot. It was the beginning of a beautiful marriage between two people with philanthropic hearts, who dedicated their lives to making Houston a better place.

Kathrine continued to manage the books and office staff and had a direct hand in the expansion of her husband’s McGovern Allergy Clinic, which grew to become one of the largest private allergy clinics in the nation. Meanwhile, through real estate and wise investments, Dr. McGovern built a fortune, with the intent of using it to support the Houston community. Heavily influenced by his grandmother, who taught him during the Great Depression that giving to others “fills a God-sized hole in your heart,” together, the McGoverns’ began leaving a stamp of goodwill and giving across the Greater Houston area. Humble and low key, they never sought the social spotlight—preferring instead that their actions and gifts speak for themselves.

Following her husband’s death in 2007, Kathrine became president of the John P. McGovern Foundation and chair of the foundation’s board for more than 15 years while creating her own legacy of generosity and community service.

Programs in the Texas Medical Center, at the University of Houston, and Houston Zoo, museums in Houston’s Museum District, libraries, as well as literacy and conservation organizations including Houston Audubon and Houston Arboretum & Nature Center are just a few of the many causes the John P. McGovern Foundation championed over more than six decades. During Kathrine’s tenure as foundation president, large gifts established The John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Centennial Gardens and the Kathrine G. McGovern Flyway in Hermann Park. In 2015, the foundation made a transformational $75 million gift to UTHealth Houston to bolster medical training, provide full scholarships, and support scientific discovery and innovation. In honor of the gift, UTHealth Houston renamed its medical school the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School. A long-time patron of the Houston Zoo, Kathrine made a record $50 million gift through the foundation in 2018 to support the zoo’s facilities and programs. In 2019, a $20 million gift from the foundation established the Kathrine G. McGovern College of Arts at the University of Houston. Three years later, Kathrine, a former student of art and design at the University of Houston, received an honorary doctorate from the university for her lifetime dedication to the arts and education.

The McGoverns’ legacy of generosity and service will continue through the dedicated staff and board of the John P. McGovern Foundation, including long-time adviser and facilitator Julia Mitchell, Sheila Lewis, and William C. Shrader.

Kathrine is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph M. and Marion Galbreath; and her sister, Val G. Pechal. She is survived by her nephew, Mike Pechal, and his wife Trish, of LaGrange, Texas; great-niece, Michelle Pechal Cooper and her husband Clint, of Pearland, Texas; great-nephew, Anthony Pechal and his wife Julianne, of The Woodlands, Texas; and nephew, Joseph Stanton Pechal and his wife Melita; along with great-niece Hana Pechal and great-nephew Brian of Heath, Texas.

The family would like to thank Holly Holmes, MD, of UTHealth Houston; nurses Emelda Initorio, Marissa Baguisa, Maiah Diala, and Gay Sevilla; and caregivers Kim Diala and Armando Santana for the exceptional care they provided, enabling Kathrine to continue the foundation’s charitable giving in recent years and to celebrate her 90th birthday.

The memorial service will be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, the 13th of December, in the Sanctuary of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street in Houston, where Rev. Dr. Jeff McDonald, Senior Pastor, is to officiate.

Immediately following all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the Fondren Hall.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the John P. McGovern Foundation requests with gratitude that gifts in honor of Kathrine G. McGovern’s be directed to the Houston Audubon, 440 Wilchester Blvd., Houston, TX, 77079; Hermann Park Conservancy, 1700 Hermann Dr., Houston, TX, 77004; Houston Zoo, 6200 Hermann Park Dr., Houston, TX, 77030; Houston Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Park Dr., Houston, TX, 77030; or to the charity of one’s choice.

For those unable to attend the service, virtual attendance may be accessed by selecting the “Join Livestream” icon on the service section on Ms. McGovern’s memorial tribute page at GeoHLewis.com, while there you may also share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with her family.