Folsom History
Honoring Strong, Ethical Leadership for More Than 15 Years
Established in 2005, the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award is presented
by the Methodist Health System Foundation to recognize individuals whose
demonstrated commitment to, and excellence in, community leadership emulate
the achievements of former Dallas mayor Robert S. Folsom.
The award is named in Mr. Folsom’s honor for his commitment to the
Dallas community and his lifelong example of excellence in community leadership.
Recipients of the award are selected for their accomplishments in making
a lasting, positive change in the Dallas community and inspiring others
to follow in their paths.
The Folsom event has raised more than $15 million over the past 10 years
to benefit Methodist Health System’s programs and services. The
Dallas Business Journal ranked the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award #6 of 25 on the North Texas
Fundraising Events list in March 2016.
About Robert S. “Bob” Folsom
A native of Oak Cliff, Robert S. “Bob” Folsom attended Sunset
High School, then went on to play football at Southern Methodist University.
After college, he joined his father’s company as a traveling salesman
before starting his own business with $4,000 in savings. His first real
estate purchase, made with a former SMU teammate, was a downtown Dallas
lot. He turned that investment into a multi-million-dollar real-estate
business before entering public service.
He first served on the Dallas ISD board of trustees, then as mayor of Dallas
from 1976-1981. During his tenure, he helped develop Reunion Arena and
created the Dallas Arts District. Following in his father’s footsteps,
Folsom was a Methodist Hospital board member from 1968-1977, and board
president from 1975-1976.
In 2005, the Methodist Health System Foundation established the Robert
S. Folsom Leadership Award to recognize individuals whose demonstrated
commitment and excellence in community leadership emulate Mayor Folsom’s
achievements.
He was married to his childhood sweetheart, Margaret Dalton Folsom, for
64 years until her death in 2013. He is survived by his son, Steve Folsom
of Dallas; daughters Debbie Frank of Dallas and Debbie Jarma of Weatherford;
10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Folsom Fitness and Rehabilitation Center
In August 1983, Margaret and Bob Folsom donated funds to create an outpatient
rehabilitation center next to Methodist Dallas Medical Center to help
patients recover from injury or illness, train for athletic events, lose
weight, and improve their overall health and fitness.
Folsom Leadership Award
The Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award is presented to individuals who have
demonstrated commitment to the Dallas community and who emulate Mayor
Folsom’s lifelong example of excellence in community leadership.
Recipients of the award are selected for their accomplishments in making
a lasting, positive change in the Dallas community and inspiring others
to follow in their paths. To date, the event has raised more than $15
million to benefit Methodist Health System programs and services including
building Charles A. Sammons Tower, establishing the Life Shines Bright
pregnancy program, supporting neuro services, and funding graduate medical
education. Past award recipients include: Robert S. Folsom (2005); Nancy
Ann Hunt (2006); Troy Aikman (2007); Laura Bush (2008); Norman Brinker
(2009); Pat and Emmitt Smith (2010); Trevor Rees-Jones (2011); Michael
M. Boone (2012); Mark Craig (2013); Bobby B. Lyle (2014); Jack Lowe, Jr.
(2015); R. Gerald Turner, PhD (2016); David B. Miller (2017); Royce West
(2018); Michael S. Rawlings (2019); Linda & Mitch Hart (2021); Mary
and Rich Templeton (2023); James W. Keyes (2024).
If you would like to make a gift in memory of Robert S. Folsom, please
click the button below.
Current Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award Recipient:
- (Come back soon to find out who will be the new honoree)
Past Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award Recipients:
- 2024 - James W. Keyes
- 2023 - Mary and Rich Templeton
- 2021 - Linda & Mitch Hart
- 2019 – Mike S. Rawlings
- 2018 – Royce West
- 2017 – David B. Miller
- 2016 – R. Gerald Turner, PhD
- 2015 – Jack Lowe, Jr.
- 2014 – Bobby B. Lyle
- 2013 – Mark Craig
- 2012 – Michael M. Boone
- 2011 – Trevor Rees-Jones
- 2010 – Pat and Emmitt Smith
- 2009 – Norman Brinker
- 2008 – Laura Bush
- 2007 – Troy Aikman
- 2006 – Nancy Ann Hunt
- 2005 – Robert S. Folsom
For those interested in supporting the Folsom Award, please contact Methodist
Health System Foundation at
(214) 947-4555or
FolsomAward@mhd.com.