T. Michael Bolger, visionary behind Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, dies at 78
In a city well known for a civic inferiority complex, T. Michael Bolger would have none of it.
Decades ago, Bolger saw an opportunity in Milwaukee to build a world-class complex of academic medical research and health care facilities. Over the years, Bolger expanded his vision into the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, a consoritum of health care institutions that includes Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital, the Behavioral Health Division of Milwaukee County and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
“He was critical In making Milwaukee a great city with a great academic medical center. He grew it," said Janis Orlowski, chief health care officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges, a think tank and professional society in Washington, DC.
The Medical College of Wisconsin — where Bolger was the school’s longest-serving president — announced he had passed away Thursday at age 78 after a brief illness.
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“A brilliant strategist, kind and generous soul, and approachable leader, he will be remembered for his visionary leadership, remarkable sense of humor, polished public presentations, and passion for MCW and Milwaukee,” the Medical College said in its Friday statement.
The Regional Medical Center — a complex so vast that one needs a map to navigate around it — has become a crucial economic anchor to the metro region, giving it a global reputation in cutting-edge genomic and medical science, in addition to being a major medical care resource in the Midwest.
A lover of the arts, prodigious fundraiser, former Jesuit seminary student and civil rights activist, Bolger’s civic legacy extends beyond the medical campus.
He led multiple large-scale projects in and around Milwaukee and chaired boards as diverse as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and ARTREACH Milwaukee. Chairing the Milwaukee Ballet, he helped save the dance troupe when it teetered on the verge of extinction.
Bolger led the development of the Milwaukee theater district, which includes the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Marquette University’s multilevel Student Union and the creation of the Milwaukee Academy of Sciences charter school.
Bolger was born in Minocqua in rural northern Wisconsin and received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Marquette University, where he also served as student body president. He initially planned to become a physician. He was accepted into the Marquette University School of Medicine — the Medical College's predecessor institution.
But his life took a series of unexpected turns. He earned his master's and doctorate degrees in philosophy from St. Louis University. He became a Jesuit seminarian and joined Father James Groppi in the legendary marches for equal housing for African-Americans. Bolger once recalled he was spat upon.
After leaving the seminary, he changed directions again. He received his law degree from Northwestern University Law School, breezing through in two years.
The Milwaukee-based firm of Quarles & Brady hired the newly minted lawyer. In a twist of fate, Quarles gave Bolger the chance to become legal counsel for the Medical College, a position he held for nearly two decades. Bolger became one of the nation’s leading experts on health care law.
In the 1970s, Bolger worked through all the arcane politics of Milwaukee County to craft the land lease agreements that led to the creation of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.
In 1990, Bolger left Quarles to become the fifth president and chief executive at the Medical College, which he led for 20 years until his retirement in 2010. By the time he left, the Medical College ranked as the state's largest private educational research institution.
During his tenure, everything in the school grew exponentially in size: the buildings, the faculty, the endowments. The school rose into the top third of all U.S. medical schools for federal research grants.
"I call myself the friend-raiser in chief," Bolger once said of his fundraising prowess.
In Washington, Orlowski recalls how she became friends with Bolger. Orlowski graduated from Marquette and earned a medical degree at the Medical College. She said Bolger reached out to many alumni over the years, including her. Orlowski joined the board of trustees of both the Medical College and Marquette.
And with each visit home, she said, "the medical center had grown. It was a changed institution, much bigger than when I was there."
"Michael was one of the kindest and most humble people I've ever met," Orlowski said.
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In addition to his wife, Ginny, Bolger is survived by a son, John, (Kerry Kubly Bolger) and a daughter, Jennifer Bolger Breceda (Enrique Thomas Breceda), and four grandchildren: Michael Kubly, John Conley, Charles Patrick Bolger and Faolan Thomas Breceda.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The Medical College plans to hold a memorial service for Bolger and will provide more details next week.
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