Aspen event honors Mendelsohns

A late afternoon rain did nothing to dampen the festive atmosphere at Barbara and Gerald Hines’ Aug. 1 reception at their Aspen home on the banks of the Roaring Fork River. 

As the skies cleared, more than 200 MD Anderson friends and supporters gathered to salute Anne Mendelsohn and John Mendelsohn, M.D., on the eve of the 13th annual Making Cancer History^® Seminar at the Aspen Institute. 

Barbara Hines’ painting, “Poppy Fields and Mountains II,” was a focal point as the Mendelsohns reflected on their extraordinary journey during his 15-year tenure as the institution’s third president. 

Later, an auction of the painting generated lively bidding. John Paul DeJoria made the winning bid of $10,000, which will support the Anne and John Mendelsohn Personalized Cancer Therapy Fund. 

The free educational event at the Aspen Institute featured presentations by Mendelsohn; Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.; and Jeffrey N. Myers, M.D., Ph.D. 

Cancer survivor Shelby Robin shared her experiences in overcoming Ewing’s sarcoma and becoming a nurse at MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, where she received treatment as a child.