[BobbyB]

Facility to bear name of late home builder
By TONY LEYS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER


October 26, 2007
1 Comment



Michael R. Myers didn't live to see approval of the hospital that will be named for him, but his family says it will be his dream come true.

The prominent home builder offered $15 million toward con- struction of an Iowa Health-Des Moines hospital in West Des Moines. Myers could have given the money to another charity after state regulators unanimously rejected the hospital proposal in 2004.

"There were certainly people who approached us about doing something else with it," his son, Jamie Myers, said in an interview. "But we were steadfast."

Michael Myers, who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, died last December at age 57. He was born in Des Moines, graduated from North High School in 1967 and received a degree in construction engineering from Iowa State University in 1970.

Jamie Myers told the State Health Facilities Council on Thursday that his father started with "a hammer and a dream" and turned them into the thriving business called Regency Homes. Many of the company's developments were in the western suburbs. Michael Myers and his wife, Linda Myers, thought a West Des Moines hospital would help many of the people who had helped make their company a success.

Jamie Myers' voice broke as he talked about his father's dedication to the project.

"This hospital meant everything to him, and it means everything to my mother," Jamie Myers said. "We miss him dearly, and we want to see the dream brought forth."

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pb.../1001/BUSINESS