Mike McGlinchey Memorial Golf Tournament

When Mike McGlinchey, head football coach at Salisbury, Frostburg State, and Central Connecticut State Universities, succumbed to ALS six years ago, his family and friends searched for an appropriate way to remember the man whose life had impacted so many. Their idea—a memorial golf tournament held annually in the summer—keeps McGlinchey’s legacy alive within the very community he touched.

“I continue to be overwhelmed at this remarkable tribute to my husband,” Marylane McGlinchey reflects. “His positive attitude and tremendous commitment to teaching and excellence live on in those he came in contact with during his life as a coach, husband, father, and friend.”

From humble beginnings in 1997, the Mike McGlinchey Memorial Golf Tournament has evolved into a successful event that raises awareness of ALS and funds to find a cure at the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research. Fifty-four foursomes participated in this year’s tournament, and the $15,000 proceeds were directed to the Packard Center.

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Playing To Win For Life Foundation

Like many ALS patients, Bob Basten refuses to accept his diagnosis quietly and without a fight. “I choose to play to win…to live, to laugh, to focus on what I can control and to work hard to try to make a difference,” states the chairman of Centerprise Advisors, Inc. and Minnesota resident.

So determined is Basten that he founded and chairs the Playing To Win For Life Foundation for ALS Research. To date, Foundation events held throughout the Midwest have raised more than $600,000. The Packard Center received a $50,000 contribution from a Walk4Life in North Oaks, Minnesota last October, and this May—after the Foundation’s first benefit gala in Chicago—the Center was awarded a second gift of $250,000. The Playing To Win For Life Foundation also stepped forward to become the first sponsor of the Center’s Annual Scientific Symposium.

Both the Packard Center and the Playing To Win For Life Foundation understand the importance of a collaborative approach. “By combining the best researchers along with a commitment to collaboration, the Packard Center is, quite simply, the best bet for a cure. We are proud to provide our support,” states Basten, who recently joined the Center’s Board of Governors.

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Crandall Bowles

After her father-in-law and sister-in-law both died from ALS, Crandall Bowles set out to learn more about the disease and what was being done to find a cure. It wasn’t long before she read about the Packard Center and arranged a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Rothstein to discuss his research.

“I wanted to find an effective way to invest in the people researching a cure for ALS,” explains Bowles, the chief executive officer of Springs Industries. “When I learned that the Packard Center pulls in people from different areas and collaborates on the research, that was the motivation for my involvement.”

Confident that she would be supporting effective and collaborative efforts to find a cure for ALS, Bowles began contributing to the Packard Center. Her generous giving totaled $25,000 in 2003.

Bowles’s ties with Hopkins and other ALS organizations extend beyond the Packard Center. She is a member of Hopkins’ hospital’s Board of Visitors, and her daughter Annie graduated from the School of Medicine in 2002. Bowles and her husband Erskine also support the Carolinas ALS Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they live.

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Richard McCready

A longtime fan of Johns Hopkins, Richard McCready shares the institution’s commitment to cutting-edge research. In 1995, when Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken was on the verge of breaking Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played, McCready suggested to Peter Angelos a way to commemorate the historic occasion: support ALS research at Hopkins. His idea generated more than $2 million for the cause and laid the groundwork for future partnerships between the Orioles and the Packard Center.

McCready’s interest in ALS was triggered when his mother was diagnosed with the disease. After her death in 1994, he searched for a meaningful way to contribute to the fight against ALS. McCready, who serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Advantage Sales & Marketing/ESM, joined the Packard Center’s Board of Governors three years ago and has since given $25,000 in unrestricted support.

“Being involved with the Packard Center is fulfilling for me personally, because it keeps me from feeling helpless after the death of my mother,” the Baltimore businessman explains. “I can see the progress with ALS research, and I know the Packard Center’s revolutionary approach—with researchers sharing their findings—is going to get us where we need to be.”

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MDA’s Wings Over Wall Street™

The evening of October 3, 2002 was a night to remember for the Packard Center, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and ALS patients worldwide. On that evening, more than 1,700 individuals gathered in New York City for MDA’s Wings Over Wall Street™, a gala reception and auction that raised more than $1.9 million—the most money raised for ALS research in a single night in MDA history. From the proceeds, the Packard Center received $1 million toward its research efforts.

The event, formerly Wings of Hope, was expertly chaired by Michael Beier, a Wall Street trader who became a tireless advocate for ALS research and awareness after being diagnosed with the disease. Beier, an active member of the Packard Center’s Board of Governors, died in April of this year, but his passionate commitment to ending ALS continues to inspire others. The second annual Wings Over Wall Street™ event—another tremendous success—was held on October 2 this year.

“For me personally, this event is incredibly close to my heart,” states Andrea Evers, vice president of equity trading at Credit Suisse First Boston and member of the Packard Center’s Board of Governors who worked closely with Beier. “With time, I find more and more people who are related to this cause. Not a day or week passes without someone telling me they’re fighting this disease.”

For Evers, it makes perfect sense that the Packard Center receives funding from the Wings Over Wall Street™ event. “If Wall Street were a research center, it would be the Packard Center,” she says. “And that’s what we love about it. Jeff Rothstein has a no-nonsense, collaborative approach that works—he’s a Wall Street trader in a lab coat.”

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Michael Myers and Family

Two years ago, Michael Myers and his brother Mark were diagnosed with a rare familial form of ALS. From their homes in Iowa, members of the Myers family began searching for information on the disease. They discovered articles about the Packard Center online and soon traveled to Baltimore to talk with Dr. Rothstein and his research team.

“Dr. Rothstein impressed us on several levels,” recalls Michael Myers’s oldest son, James. “The man is compassionate and truly cares about us and our ability to deal with the situations created by this illness. At the same time, it’s clear that he is incredibly knowledgeable about ALS,” Myers continues, “and quite capable of dealing with the human side as well as the research and technical side of this illness.”

Since that initial meeting, the Myers family has formed a strong bond with Dr. Rothstein and the Packard Center. Through Regency Homes, a major homebuilding company founded by Michael Myers in Des Moines, Iowa, the family hosts an annual MDA golf tournament. In 2003, the event raised approximately $150,000 for the Packard Center. Each month, the Myers family also makes a $5,000 contribution—totaling $140,000 to date—toward Dr. Rothstein’s research.

“The primary reason for our support of Dr. Rothstein and his team is truly their compassion and personal commitment to unraveling the mystery of this disease,” states Robert Myers, Michael Myers’s youngest son. “The comfort of knowing that this team is out there every day fighting for families like us is immeasurable. We truly believe that these are the people who will solve the puzzle and discover a cure for ALS.”

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Tom Watson

Golf legend Tom Watson joined forces with the Packard Center this year, signing on to participate in the Bob Packard Cup this November. The new tournament, to be played at Stanford University, is expected to raise at least $500,000 for ALS research at the Center.

“It’s an honor to participate in the first Bob Packard Cup and to do what I can to fund ALS research,” states Watson, winner of five British Opens and 39 PGA Tour events. The renowned golfer has been a generous supporter of ALS research since his caddy Bruce Edwards was diagnosed with the disease in January of this year. Edwards first caddied for Watson in 1973; today, the two have one of the longest caddy-golfer relationships on the PGA Tour.

“I am committed to helping Bruce and others fight this devastating disease, and I’m impressed with the progress that’s being made at the Packard Center,” explains Watson. “The Packard Center is on the leading edge of discovering how ALS occurs, and the scientists are dedicated to translating their basic research into real therapy for today’s patients. The Center’s strength lies not only in engaging the very best researchers but also in demanding aggressive collaboration and productivity.”

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