Boykin Family Pledges $10 million to Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute

A family with deep ties to Cleveland has pledged $10 million to support Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute.

The Boykin family – Paula Jo and Robert (Bob) Boykin and Kristina and John (Jack) Boykin – made their gift in honor of Bob and Jack’s mother, Audrey M. Boykin, who passed away from cancer in 1990.

Their father, William Boykin, worked in his family’s real estate business, which co-developed Cleveland’s Westgate Shopping Center, before starting a hotel company in 1958. The new company became a success and expanded over time. Bob and Jack, having grown up in the business, eventually became its leaders and built it to the point where it was employing 5,000 workers at many locations across the United States. In 2006, Bob and Jack sold the public company they created, Boykin Lodging, and relocated their headquarters to Charlotte.

Although the Boykins now live in North Carolina and Florida, they have lifelong friends in Northeast Ohio, and they continue to use Cleveland Clinic as their primary source for healthcare. “Ours is a Cleveland story,” Bob Boykin said. “Three generations did business there. The town was good to us, and Cleveland Clinic was always a part of it. It’s a piece of our fabric.”

The Boykins appreciate Cleveland Clinic’s brand of healthcare. “In the hotel business, we focused on ‘let’s do the best we can to make the noticeable difference,’” Jack recalled, noting that Cleveland Clinic does the same in all aspects of its care.

Added Bob: “You only have to go somewhere else for healthcare to find out how good Cleveland Clinic is.”

The family’s gift will go toward supporting clinical care, inspiring innovation, and promoting research, education or capital priorities to improve the patient experience at the Taussig Cancer Institute, the brothers said.

In gratitude for their gift, the main lobby at the Taussig Cancer Center will be named in honor of the Boykin family. “Taussig is a beautiful facility, and we’re glad to be a part of it,” said Jack, who noted that he had surgery for melanoma in December and is now cancer free.

Brian J. Bolwell, M.D., chair of the Taussig Cancer Institute, stressed the importance of the gift. “The Boykin family’s gift will support a number of services that help patients throughout their cancer journey,” he said. “In addition to outstanding clinical care, we must support our patients as they navigate through what can be a daunting diagnosis. Patients experience various levels of hardship during their treatment, and the Boykins are providing us with the resources to do something about that. For this, we are truly grateful.”

Bob Boykin expressed his family’s gratitude, as well. “We are deeply proud of this gift that we’re able to make. And in so doing, we get to stand in the shadow of this institution and in the shadow of the great men and women who do their work there. We thank you.”

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center lobby

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center treatment room

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center