Donation to MIND Center brings dedicated building funds to $10 million

Donation to MIND Center brings dedicated building funds to $10 million

At 99 years old, Catherine Powell Klipple left behind a legacy of quiet service, endless curiosity and a lifelong commitment to helping others. Now, through a planned $1 million gift to the University of Mississippi Medical Center's MIND Center, her legacy will continue supporting dementia and Alzheimer's research while helping advance plans for the MIND Center's future centralized building. Her donation brings fundraising efforts up to the $10 million mark.

Mosley

"Mrs. Klipple's gift is especially meaningful as it was made in memory of her father and reflects her firsthand experience as both a caregiver and a statistician who worked alongside physicians on research to advance the treatment and understanding of Alzheimer's disease and dementia," said Dr. Thomas Mosley, Robbie and Dudley Hughes Distinguished MIND Center Chair and director of the MIND Center.

"Her wonderful generosity is helping us realize a key milestone for a centralized clinic for geriatric, Alzheimer's, and dementia care and is also advancing The MIND Center's mission to find new treatments for these devastating diseases."

Klipple, who died Dec. 24, 2025, spent much of her life serving her community in ways that were both visible and unseen. A Jackson native, statistician, traveler, life-long church and community volunteer, she was deeply invested in improving the lives of others.

"She had sort of planned on giving to many organizations in her will, but at some point she decided she wanted to give to one major organization and make a more impactful gift rather than dividing her estate among the many, many organizations she had given to throughout her life," said Barbara Powell, daughter of Klipple's close friends, Barbara and Barry Powell.

Klipple made the donation to the MIND Center in memory of her father, who developed dementia late in life. She became his primary caretaker while she was still working full time.

"Because of her experience with her father, and because he meant so much to her, she wanted to give to the MIND Center," Barbara said.

The decision also reflected Klipple's lifelong appreciation for science and research. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Millsaps College and later completed a master's degree in biostatistics from Columbia University School of Public Health. Throughout her career with the Mississippi State Department of Health, she worked as a statistician, often consulting with physicians at UMMC.

Barbara Powell, Klipple's longtime friend and executor of her estate, said Klipple believed strongly in the work being done at the MIND Center.

"She was impressed with what they were doing at the MIND Center with such cutting-edge research that gave the possibility of breakthroughs," Barbara said.

Her friendship with Klipple spanned nearly six decades. The two women met at church around 1967 and stayed connected throughout their lives.

"For much of the time our children were growing up, she would come every Friday night for supper," Barbara said. "I think that's part of why our children also became part of her family."

Klipple brought that level of commitment to every aspect of her life. A lifetime member of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church, she served as a Sunday school teacher, missions chair and organizer of the Bethany Circle of United Methodist Women. She volunteered with organizations including Bethlehem Center, Operation Shoestring, Stewpot Services and Meals on Wheels.

"She volunteered for Meals on Wheels well into her 90s," Becky said. "At her memorial service, I spoke to someone who said he wanted to honor her life because she used to bring meals to his father."

Barbara said Klipple's generosity wasn't performative.

"She was in the League of Women Voters and one of her passions was helping people gain access to vote," Barbara said. "Growing up during the Civil Rights era, she felt strongly about everyone having equal access. She cared a lot about justice and treating all people with dignity. That was something that influenced all that she did."

Though she was reserved by nature, Klipple had an immense curiosity about the world. She traveled extensively throughout her life, visiting Egypt, India, Japan and other parts of the world long before many destinations became common tourist attractions.

"She went to China when it first really opened up to tourism," Barbara said. "She went with a group from Millsaps College and traveled there more than once. She toured all over Europe and enjoyed England in particular."

After retirement, Klipple joined archaeological excavation teams in Jordan and Israel, helping uncover ancient historical sites.

Becky remembers those travels vividly through the keepsakes Klipple brought home.

"She would always bring me and my younger brothers ornaments from her trips," she said. "There was always this great unveiling where she would talk about where she found it and how it reminded her of the place she had been."

Klipple's curiosity extended beyond travel. Becky described her as a lifelong learner who devoured books, documentaries, newspaper articles and scientific research.

"She was a very curious person who wanted to know about the world," Becky said. "When I was a grad student, she would always ask me about my research and follow up with a ton of questions about the statistics and math behind it."

Her curiosity, compassion, humility and service left a lasting impression on those closest to her.

"She was a very reserved and quiet person," Becky said. "A lot of the work she did and support she provided throughout her life was very quiet. It was never with fanfare."

"Her legacy gift was given in memory of her father, but was also driven by her life at Galloway and John Wesley's famous directive: 'Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can,' said Lee Anne Bryan, director of philanthropy at the MIND Center.

"That is exactly the impact of a legacy gift - it carries on beyond your life and supports people you will never even meet. This is exactly what John Wesley asked his followers to do. In today's world, it is not very common to see this sort of unselfish service, and that is what makes Ms. Klipple's gift so extraordinary."