Gala for Life Brings out Supporters in the Fight Against Cancer

By Nate Hinkel

 Diamond Rio performs at the UAMS Cancer Institute Gala for Life
Diamond Rio performed following dinner.

Chancellor Dodd Wilson along with his wife, Ginger, at the UAMS Cancer Institute Gala for Life
UAMS Chancellor I. Dodd Wilson, M.D. and his
wife, Ginger, were in attendance along with
incoming chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D.

Joe and Jo Ellen Ford along with director Dr. Peter Emanuel and his wife, Carla, at the UAMS Cancer Institute Gala for Life
Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D.,
(far right) poses with his wife, Carla Emanuel,
and Joe and Jo Ellen Ford.

Sept. 18, 2009 | Music, fine dining and a worthy cause were the orders of the day at the 14th Annual Gala for Life.

The black tie event held Sept. 11 at Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center benefited the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). It was hosted by the Cancer Institute Foundation Fund board.

About 750 people attended the event, which raised almost $800,000 for Cancer Institute operations and construction. A 300,000-square-foot expansion is under way adjacent to the Cancer Institute’s Pat and Willard Walker Tower and is scheduled to open in 2010.

The Gala was co-chaired by Cheryl and Elvin Shuffield. Live entertainment was presented by Diamond Rio, known for their country western hits including “Meet in the Middle,” “Beautiful Mess” and “I Believe.” KTHV anchorman Craig O’Neill served as master of ceremonies.

In addition to raising funds, the Gala also is an opportunity to honor those who have made a significant impact in the fight against cancer. This year’s honorees, Josephine Raye and Doyle Rogers of Batesville, received the Pat and Willard Walker Tribute award for their longtime and continued dedication to the Cancer Institute.

In 2007, UAMS received a $4 million gift from the Rogers and their children, Barbara and Paul “Pete” Hoover and Carolyn and Doyle “Rog” Rogers. The family designated the gift to benefit two areas: $1 million will support the Josephine Raye and Doyle W. Rogers Breast Screening Center in the upcoming Cancer Institute expansion, and $3 million funded construction of the Josephine Raye and Doyle W. Rogers Lobby in the UAMS hospital, which opened in January 2009.

Raye Rogers is a founding and lifetime member of the Cancer Institute Foundation Fund board. She is well recognized for her devotion to providing volunteer leadership and community service throughout the state. She has served on numerous boards, including the Philander Smith College Board of Trustees, where she received an honorary doctorate of humanities.

Doyle Rogers is founder and chairman of the Doyle Rogers Company, a private real estate development, investments, banking and brokerage firm. In 1982, he oversaw the development of Little Rock’s Excelsior Hotel, now the Peabody Little Rock, and the adjoining Statehouse Convention Center. In 1985, he developed the 25-story Rogers Building, now the Stephens Building, also in downtown Little Rock. In addition, he is chairman of the board of Metropolitan National Bank and in 2006 was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.

Kent Westbrook, M.D., distinguished professor in the UAMS Department of Surgery, and James Suen, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, presented the award. Westbrook and Suen are both former Cancer Institute directors. Prior to their presentation, a video tribute highlighted the Rogers family.

A live auction conducted by O’Neill brought in $73,000 and featured a duck hunting trip for four, a seven-night stay in Scotland and an opera length diamond necklace designed by Martin Flyer.

A handmade quilt by Carolyn Marsh was purchased prior to the auction. Marsh created the quilt in memory of longtime UAMS employee Deanna Brown who lost her battle with breast cancer. The quilt will be donated to the UAMS Family Home in honor of Robin Dean, coordinator of the Cancer Institute’s Auxiliary Cancer Support Center.

The UAMS Family Home is a nonprofit facility that provides low-cost, homelike lodging for cancer patients and parents of infants in the UAMS Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit.

The auction item receiving the highest bid at $26,000 included the opportunity for two cancer patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital to fly aboard a private plane to Dallas to attend a Dallas Cowboys football game and be hosted in owner Jerry Jones’ suite at the new Cowboys Stadium.

For more photos from the event, click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37405511@N07/sets/72157622271242411/show/