Stephanie T. Mucha
Born: 1917Death: 2018
Deemed as the "The Oracle of Buffalo", Stephanie T. Mucha attended the Trott Vocational School of Nursing in 1948 and was hired at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1950. Upon witnessing one of the first heart pacemakers implanted in a dog at the VA Hospital in 1958, Mrs. Mucha and her husband, Joseph, bought $255.50 worth of shares in the company Medtronic, who received the license for the heart pacemaker. By 2007, each of the shares was worth $459,000, according to the Buffalo News.
Through additional investments, Ms. Mucha became a millionaire and set the goal of donating $6 million before her death. Since her passing, she has donated $1 million Kosciuszko Foundation, $1 million to UB's School of Dental Medicine, $1 million to the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering, in memory of her husband's aspirations of becoming an engineer. She also provided 30 scholarships for students of Polish heritage with her husband.
Ms. Mucha was one of 100 citizens to receive a Purple Heart for her service at the VA hospital in 1978, in 2011, she received the Philanthropist Award from UB's College of Arts and Sciences, was presented with UB's Walter P. Cooke Award, and in 2015, was the Am-Pol Eagle Citizen of the Year in Health and Medicine.
Affiliation(s): Benefactor
Record Group(s): 3
Biographical File Contains:
- Obituary