Hosts with the most

Scottsdale

A cocktail reception and dinner April 30 at the Scottsdale, Ariz., home of MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors member Julie Kyte and husband Bill offered area supporters the opportunity to meet Ronald DePinho, M.D., president of MD Anderson, and Thomas Burke, M.D., executive vice president and physician-in-chief. Also on hand was Edgardo Rivera, M.D., medical director of Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a collaboration of Banner Health and MD Anderson at Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, Ariz. Host Julie Kyte thanked guests for their generous support of the institution and recognized their role in MD Anderson’s mission to eradicate cancer. Among guests were Board of Visitors members Paul F. Oreffice of Paradise Valley, Ariz., and Ralph Ponce de Leon of Phoenix, and MD Anderson Advance Team member Karissa Ma of Phoenix.

Atlanta

The Piedmont Driving Club was the scene of a May 17 cocktail reception and dinner introducing DePinho to approximately 100 Atlanta-area supporters. Members of the host committee included Atlanta-area Board of Visitors members and spouses Bettie and Walter Driver, Edwina and Tom Johnson, Abbie Michelson and Steve Thomas, and MD Anderson Advance Team member Kasey Asarch and husband Todd. DePinho thanked guests and emphasized the impact of philanthropy on the institution’s research and patient care initiatives and the more than 100,000 patients treated at MD Anderson each year.

Beaumont

A June 11 luncheon at the MCM Eleganté Hotel and Conference Center in Beaumont attracted more than 200 MD Anderson supporters. Host committee members included Charline Dauphin, Camille and Christopher Ohmstede, Sharon and Scott Parker, Linda and Joe Penland and Regina Rogers. DePinho recognized the continued generosity and commitment of residents of the southeast Texas area known as the Golden Triangle (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange) and congratulated community physicians on their collaborative role in MD Anderson’s mission of eradicating cancer. Following DePinho’s remarks, Beaumont resident Judi Sachitano Rawls offered a story of hope as she recounted her experiences as a caregiver. 

El Paso

Board of Visitors members from El Paso introduced DePinho to area residents at a luncheon June 15 at the El Paso Country Club.  On the host committee were Myrna and Ray Deckert, Nancy and Steve Fox, Tycha and Ron Stading, Gayle and Woody Hunt and Marian and Edward Azar. Lung cancer survivor Ron Stading touched the hearts of the approximately 100 guests with reflections on his cancer journey and his experiences at MD Anderson. DePinho thanked the El Paso community for its loyalty and support, congratulating the local BOV members on their efforts to raise almost $5 million for MD Anderson’s recent Making Cancer History®: The Campaign to Transform Cancer Care.

Aspen

More than 200 friends and supporters of MD Anderson gathered July 23 at Barbara and Gerald Hines’s Aspen home on the banks of the Roaring Fork. The reception celebrated the eve of MD Anderson’s 14th annual Making Cancer History® Seminar at Aspen Meadows Resort. More than 200 people attended the July 24 seminar, which featured presentations by DePinho; Lynda Chin, M.D., chair of the Department of Genomic Medicine; and Andy Futreal, Ph.D., who recently joined MD Anderson’s Department of Genomic Medicine from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in England. The Hon. Stuart A. Bernstein, of Washington, D.C., and former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, made the winning bid of $9,000 in a silent auction of Barbara Hines’s oil on canvas, “Maroon Bells Lake.” All of the proceeds will benefit MD Anderson.

The host committee included Judy and Bob Allen, Jana and J. Scott Arnoldy, Paul F. Barnhart Jr., Kelli and Eddy Blanton, Ginger and Jack Blanton, Leslie and Jack Blanton Jr., Ashli and Todd Blumenfeld, Estela and David Cockrell, Veronica Selinko-Curran and Michael F. Curran, Lorraine and Alexander Dell, Diane Lokey Farb, Anne and Alan Feld, Nanette and Jerry Finger, Mary-Ralph Lowe and Charlie Flanders, Patsy and Greg Fourticq, Ellie and Michael Francisco, Barbara and Gerald D. Hines, Phyllis S. Hojel, Gloria and Erich Holmsten, Marlene and Fred Malek, Laura and Andrew McCullough, Fredericka and David Middleton, Denise Monteleone, Sara and Bill Morgan, Beverly and Robert Nichols, Frances Ginsburg and Bob Olson, Samantha and J.C. Pace III, Jan and Bob Pickens, Peggy and Carl Sewell, Ellen and Steve Susman, Sara Dodd-Spickelmier and Keith Spickelmier and Marie and WilliamWise.

Santa Fe

Approximately 125 guests attended MD Anderson’s July 30 educational seminar at the Club at Las Campanas in Santa Fe, N.M. Presenters included DePinho, on “Curing Cancer: In Our Sight,” and Richard Lee, M.D., medical director of MD Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Program, on “The Potential of Integrative Oncology: A  Holistic Approach to Cancer Care.” Guests also enjoyed dinner planned by hosts Cathy and Kevin O. Butler, Dianne and Don Chalmers, Bob Clarke, Lynn and Pete Coneway, Jan E. Duncan, Susan Foote and Stephen Feinberg, Jeff Fort, Mary Ellen and Tom Gordon, Roddie and Steve Harris, Janiece Longoria and Stephen Lasher, Kathy and Jeff Love, Kate and Bob Moss, Kay Onstead, Pam and Randall Onstead, Meg Osman and Martin Levion and Susan Sumner and Rob McLeod. DePinho offered more informal remarks at a reception the following evening at the Zaplin Lampert Gallery, hosted by Elyse and Mark Zaplin, who shared reflections on his lung cancer treatment at MD Anderson.