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Our Donors

Record Attendance for Annual Board Dinner

Over 70 friends, supporters and Board members participated in this year’s Annual Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco, following the conclusion of the April 29th Board of Directors meeting.

Shan Lin MD, a leading ophthalmologist from UCSF, gave an informative keynote speech focused on the high incidence of glaucoma among Asian-Americans, particularly Chinese- and Japanese-Americans. Dr. Lin led the Ocular Hypertension Study at UCSF, which made a tremendous impact in the field of glaucoma, in part by discovering the effect central corneal thickness has in glaucoma progression — a risk factor now measured routinely by eye doctors.

In addition to 18 Board members, including new Chair Kuldev Singh MD, many longtime supporters of the Glaucoma Research Foundation participated in the memorable evening. Nobuko and Gary Cleary, Co-Chairs of the 2010 Benefit scheduled for January 27, 2010, were on hand, as were Cathy and Charlie Wilmoth who contributed wines for the dinner.

Dr. Adrienne Graves brought a number of colleagues from Santen, a generous corporate sponsor. Longtime supporters Paul May and Frank Stein, from San Francisco, joined Gladys and George Weston of Redwood City, whose generosity established the annual Weston Lecture in Silicon Valley.

President Thomas M. Brunner publicly thanked outgoing Board Chair Deirdre Porter for her outstanding leadership and commitment to GRF.

First Terasaki Lecture in Los Angeles

With the incredible support of Robert Drabkin, winner of GRF’s first Visionary Award, Shan Lin, Tom Brunner and three Board members traveled to Los Angeles to present a lecture on glaucoma at the Terasaki Foundation.

Hosted by philanthropists Hisako and Paul Terasaki, MD, PhD, the Terasaki Lecture took place May 7th and was attended by over 40 people, including Eileen Callahan with her sister Mary Louise Frawley, Howard Dicker, Harriet and Howard Steinberg, Michael Berlin, MD, Laura Fox, MD, and John Schofeld, MD. Guests were greeted by GRF board members John Hetherington, MD, J. Bronwyn Bateman, MD, Art Takahara and Michael Penn, Sr.

Janice Ruck, close friend and neighbor of Bob Drabkin, hosted a dinner the night before in her beautiful home to welcome GRF and introduce new friends, including Vee Motto with Yoshi and May Honkawa. The dinner was prepared and presented by Michael Drabkin and Delta Wright.

A tour of the Jules Stein Eye Institute hosted by Director Bartly Mondino, MD, and an on-air interview with LaFern Cusack, host of the California Experience on ESPN radio, featuring Dr. Lin, Tom Brunner and Art Takahara rounded out the visit.

Read more about the Terasaki Lecture

In Appreciation

Our deepest appreciation for the generosity of our donors at the $1,000 level and above, including members of THE CATALYST CIRCLE, THE BLANCHE MATTHIAS SOCIETY, and institutional donors. (Contributions of record from March 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009)

VISIONARIES ($200,000 and above)

Mr. and Mrs. F.T. Barr

BENEFACTORS ($100,000 and above)

Pfizer Inc.; Charlot and Dennis E. Singleton

PACESETTERS ($25,000 to $49,999)

Ann and Emmett Skinner, Jr.; Xenia E. Marcellus Trust; Neighbor To Nationc.

PATRONS ($10,000 to $24,999)

Kate Obstgarten Private Foundation; Andrew & Lillian A. Posey Foundation; Warren B. Williamson

SPONSORS ($5,000 to $9,999)

Germaine and Timothy Dwyer, Wendy Dwyer Memorial; Manuel Schneider Living Trust; W.B. Seaton

PRESIDENT’S CLUB ($1,000 to $4,999)

Richard J. Annesser; Arthur A. Basham, MD; The Beach Foundation; Dr. Joseph and Mrs. Helen Bernstein; Jeanette Brooks; James E. Cafritz; Deepu Chacko; Chevron Humankind Employee Funds; Nobuko Saito Cleary and Gary Cleary; Delta Gamma Foundation; Molly and Brett Dick; Robert J. Drabkin; Mark Eckstein; Employees Community Fund of the Boeing Company; John W. Grunden, MD; Larry Haimovitch; Dorothy C. and Leonard A. Hatley; Joyce J. Cammilleri Family Fund; Robert Karp; Frances and Jerry G. Leigh; Claire S. Lui Trust; Maryland Charity Campaign; Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; Lisa Moscaret-Burr and Curtis Burr; Orr Family Foundation; Michael L. Penn, Sr.; Elda and Richard Phillips; The Polakoff Foundation; Roy G. Michell Charitable Foundation and Trust; Kuldev Singh, MD; Nancy Stegens; Don Stewart; Mohan Sundarraj Murugesan; United Way of the Bay Area; Y.H. Mirzoeff & Sons Foundation, Inc.

This article appeared in the September 2009 issue of Gleams. Subscribe

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