Cleveland Clinic Runs in the Family

Frank Bunts carries a legacy that has transcended generations since the founding of Cleveland Clinic in 1921. His lineage is marked not only by the significant contributions of his family to the world-renowned hospital but also by his own profound impact as an artist and philanthropist.

His grandfather, Frank Emory Bunts, co-founded Cleveland Clinic. Although they never met, the younger Frank has tangible connections to his grandfather, including a trunk that he used on a naval journey. For Frank, the trunk symbolizes the adventurous spirit and pioneering mindset of his namesake that likely influenced the founding of the hospital more than 100 years ago.

In 2023, Frank became a member of Cleveland Clinic’s Pyramid Legacy Society after making an estate gift in honor of his father, Alexander Bunts, MD, a neurosurgeon at Cleveland Clinic. The Pyramid Legacy Society honors those who have made a future commitment to advancing medicine and supporting patient care, research and education through testamentary plans. 

Frank says his father would be amazed to see the hospital’s growth from a modest establishment to a global healthcare powerhouse. “I don’t think my father ever dreamed it was going to become as big as it is right now,” he says.

His connection to Cleveland Clinic is not just historical, but also deeply personal. In addition to his grandfather and father serving as physicians there, his uncle Edward Daoust was instrumental in setting up Cleveland Clinic’s legal framework. Frank also fondly recalls his father playing tennis with Barney Crile, son of another Cleveland Clinic founder, George Crile.

While Frank didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, he carved his own path as a professor of art at the University of Maryland, where he was director of the graduate studio art program. His passion for art, which he describes as an “inner drive,” led him to explore semi-abstract art when he was in his 40s. His artwork has appeared at the Philadelphia Museum 
of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Library of Congress.

Despite residing in New York City for more than four decades, Frank has a strong bond with Cleveland Clinic. He takes pride in its contributions to global health and especially in its forward-thinking founders.

“They came out of the First World War, and they saw that a group of people organizing together could have a greater impact as they saw it happening during their time in the war,” he says. “They applied that idea to Cleveland Clinic, which at that time was a sacrifice, being a nonprofit organization during a time when a doctor could run his own private office and make a lot more money. When you look at the hospital today, you can see the amazing growth and that it’s a tremendous service to a lot of people all over the world.”