WILLIAM THOMAS GERRARD, MARIO ANTHONY DUHON, and JOHN and JENNIFER CHALSTY, all of whom have been faced with the reality of cancer, joined forces to underwrite genetic research on hereditary prostate cancer through endowment of this professorship and to honor Hopkins faculty members William Isaacs, a highly regarded molecular geneticist, and Patrick Walsh, a pioneer in developing improved methods for prostate surgery. Mr. Gerrard, a pioneering entrepreneur, founded eight successful businesses, including Advanced Radio Communications Services, Inc., named in 1988 the “best run specialized mobile radio business in the U.S.A.” by Mobile Communications Business Magazine. In Mr. Gerrard’s family, diagnoses of prostate cancer have occurred in three successive generations. It is his hope that this professorship will help speed the search for genetic links that will benefit his son and other young men who may face this disease.
Mr. Duhon’s deep interest in science and in oncology research led to this gift. For more than a decade he has joined forces with members of radiation oncology–in the area of radiation physics–to combat many forms of cancer. Mr. Duhon’s interest in prostate cancer is fueled by a family history of the disease.
Mr. Chalsty served as chairman of the board of directors of Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette, an investment bank and financial securities firm in New York City, and vice chairman and director of the New York Stock Exchange. He is founding chairman of Muirfield Capital Management.
John and Jennifer Chalsty have a long history of philanthropy in support of medicine, the arts, education, and inner-city youth.
