Collaboration

The Packard Center could never survive without people who pour their energy into building support. Here we recognize several who made ALS research a personal mission.

HENRY “TIP” GRAHAM

Henry “Tip” Graham, of Gainesville, Fla., is well acquainted with ALS. His mother and sister both died from complications of the disease. The familial form, which strikes only about 5 percent to 10 percent of those diagnosed, is no less devastating; plus, the ALS threat looms large for anyone born into these families.

Last fall, the morning after his sister, Katherine Graham Crayton, died, Graham donated $100,000 to the Packard Center for an endowment fund in her memory, directing friends and family to send contributions there in lieu of flowers. (He recently added $25,000 to the fund.)

A lifelong philanthropist, Graham, 56, is president and CEO of the Scott-McRae Group in Jacksonville, Fla. The group manages nine companies, including car dealerships, and auto leasing and auto credit firms.

Graham had read about the Center’s work and Director Jeffrey Rothstein’s novel strategy to attract top ALS researchers worldwide. Shortly before his sister died, Graham, accompanied by brother-in-law Gary Crayton, of Tallahassee, toured Johns Hopkins. “It was exceptional—so much energy and collaboration,” Graham recalls.

The death of his sister hit Graham especially hard because the two—just 11 months apart—were so close. “Kathy was courageous and upbeat till the end,” Graham says. But he feels her presence at the mention of his nickname, a moniker she bestowed on him when he was little because he always walked on his “tippy toes.”

In 2003, the Scott-McRae Group was named the Florida family business of the year. The oldest Ford dealership in Florida, the business now boasts a fourth generation of Grahams. Tip Graham hopes his contributions to the Center will advance ALS research enough to secure his family’s longevity outside the business.

THE FRAN DELANEY FOUNDATION

In the fall of 2000, childhood sweethearts Fran and Jan Delaney decided the time had come for semi-retirement. They’d raised three children, then away at college. And Fran, at 48, looked forward to pulling back from a demanding career as vice president of customer service at Compaq Corporation. He could hardly wait to teach his wife golf.

Except for a transfer from Boston to Houston, things were going according to plan, until the day that Fran noticed his left arm was weak and his biceps twitched. On the golf course, his glove suddenly felt loose—a result of lost muscle mass.

Returning to New England, Fran was evaluated at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was followed for the next four years. After the diagnosis, twin Delaney children Brian and Kelly, 25, came back to help out. Nearby older daughter Karen pitched in, bringing along her infant son to lift everyone’s spirits.

Delaney and his family vigorously began researching the disease. He also established the Fran Delaney Foundation and aimed high, setting a fund-raising goal of $1 million. Today the foundation boasts 58 successful fund-raising events, more than 500 volunteers and $1.5 million.

Unfortunately, Delaney didn’t reap the benefits of ALS research. He died last March, surrounded by his family. Shortly after, the foundation sponsored a casino night, raising $65,000 for the Center to supplement the $50,000 they’d contributed to the Center last fall. “It was a wonderful tribute to Fran,” says wife Jan.

Even after its founder’s death, the foundation—now under Brian’s charge—is committed to carrying on the fund-raising efforts. “People with ALS cling to hope for a cure,” Jan says. “Fran believed in the Packard Center because their researchers are held accountable and must be productive.”

ANTHONY BUDREAU MEMORIAL CLASSIC

As youngsters growing up in Fort Myers, Fla., Anthony Budreau and Mike Duff played ball incessantly. Even at age 8, Budreau—a power hitter—seemed destined for a career in baseball. By 1989, as captain of his college baseball team, he was batting .300. Major league scouts were taking note.

But the following year, Budreau noticed his baseball glove grasp loosen. And, inexplicably, he couldn’t come near the ball with a bat. Many tests and hospital visits later, Budreau, then 23, learned he had something else in common with Lou Gehrig: ALS.

The news was devastating, not only because of Budreau’s age, but because shortly before the diagnosis, his father, Dennis, had suffered a closed head injury. Had it not been for family and friends, says Tony’s mother, Marcia, she doesn’t know how she’d have endured. Budreau’s three older brothers and Tony’s good friends, including childhood buddy Duff, provided constant support.

“You could always count on Tony when you were down,” Duff says. “I had to return the favor.” For the next few years, he spearheaded a golf tournament to raise money for ALS research. But Budreau’s condition deteriorated. In July, 1994, surrounded by loved ones, he died at home. He was 26.

Eleven years later, Duff, now 38, father of three and chief engineer at Covanta Energy in Fort Myers, continues to chair the golf tournament, named in Budreau’s memory. Duff recommended the Packard Center as lead recipient of the proceeds because “they seemed most committed to finding a cure for ALS.” So far, the tourney has raised almost $100,000 for the Center.

“The tournament has become a reunion—something we all look forward to,” observes Duff. “We always stop to remember Tony,” says Marcia Budreau, now grandmother of seven and contributor to the Lou Gehrig Disease Association of South Florida. “Tony wasn’t a quitter, and we’re not going to quit till we find a cure.”