Evelyn F. McKnight

In 2000, the McKnight Brain Research Foundation gave the University of Florida Brain Institute $15 million to support fundamental research into memory loss associated with aging. Evelyn F. McKnight, a nurse, and her husband, William, were interested in effects of aging on memory. William McKnight was chairman of the board of the 3M Corp. for 59 years before he died in 1978. Evelyn McKnight continued to advocate for memory loss research until her death in 1999.

In recognition of this donation, the Brain Institute and the 210,000-square-foot building that houses its principal operations are named the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of UF.

The McKnight Brain Research Foundation provides a legacy of support for research toward the understanding of memory and the specific influences of the natural aging process.

The McKnight Brain Institute is the center of all brain and spinal cord research on the UF campus. About 300 UF researchers from 50 academic departments and 10 colleges, with collaborators at more than 75 universities and research institutes around the world, pool their talents to make important discoveries about the brain and transfer them to the patient.