Buzzard Cardiac Catheterization Lab

Rita M. and Clay E. Buzzard Cardiac Catheterization Lab

The Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Lab in the Golisano Children’s Hospital building could not have been made possible without the generous $2 million donation by Rita M. Buzzard, in honor of her late husband, Clay E. Buzzard and their six children in 2016. Completed in 2017, this dedicated lab allows physicians to insert cardiac catheters in an environment designed specifically for the procedure, and “will directly impact the care received by pediatric cardiology patients at Golisano Children’s Hospital for years to come,” said Mark Taubman, M.D., CEO of the University of Rochester Medical Center and UR Medicine and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Clay Buzzard, who died in 2013, was the owner of Middle Atlantic Warehouse Distributor, Inc., an auto parts distributor which began in Buffalo and has since spread throughout the United States. He acquired the company in 1963.

Prior to his business career, Clay Buzzard served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Wounded at the Battle of Saint-Lô in July, 1944, he earned a Purple Heart and Good Conduct Medal. Shortly before his death, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal, which is given to U.S. veterans who helped liberate France during the war.

Five of the six Buzzard children were involved in the family business, leaving daughter Carol Buzzard, M.D., to pursue a career in medicine. A pediatric cardiologist, she has worked at Golisano Children’s Hospital since 1992; Rita Buzzard said that her daughter’s long tenure and dedication at URMC compelled her to make the gift to the hospital.

"We were very blessed — we had a great life together and had six healthy children who didn’t have to use a facility like Golisano Children’s Hospital,’ said Rita Buzzard. ‘I’m just trying to give back to people who may not be as fortunate, and whose children may need more care."