Foundation Board Tours Tug McGraw
Center at Duke

“It’s been a long time comin’…but it was worth it.”

This past March 28-29, the Tug McGraw Foundation was greeted with open arms as our Board of Directors made the journey to Duke University for their quarterly board meeting. What might typically have been a simple gathering for a few hours of business matters and fiscal considerations was instead a two-day exploration of Duke University and most specifically, the Brain Tumor Center and the Tug McGraw Research Center.

Dr. Henry Friedman welcomed everyone to the town of Durham, North Carolina the evening of the 28th with a catered dinner including both the members of the Board and the staff of the Tug McGraw Center. Somewhat of a mutual admiration society. The folks from the research center couldn’t help but share their appreciation for the opportunity to pursue many exciting new aspects of quality-of-life research, and our Board could not help but be impressed by the ambition and zealous spirit that the medical staff embraced the task.

The evening’s dinner was entertaining and relaxed. Foundation president Jennifer Brusstar presented Dr. Friedman with the symbolic poster-sized check for $200,000 toward the funding of the Tug McGraw Center, which gave everyone in the room a sense of pride and purpose for our mission. (On a side note, I heard Dr. Friedman actually tried to cash the check at the bank, but it would not fit into the drive-through canister. Dr. Friedman, it’s not a real check, sir!)

Our second day was all business. A remarkable tour of the medical facilities gave us an inside look at a day in the life of brain cancer research. Over lunch, many of the heads of different quality-of-life departments gave us an overview of their roles in the Foundation’s mission. The afternoon board meeting covered budget issues, new board member elections, exciting research developments funded by the Foundation, the coming of our new website, and upcoming events.

In short…everyone left pumped and excited about what lies ahead for the Foundation…and we look forward to sharing it with you every step of the way!

Ya Gotta Believe!

“It was where “Hope” and “Believe” came together. The capabilities and commitment of the Duke professionals were quite impressive. Listening to the organizations, its clear that there is consistency of mission, vision, and values.”
-Board Vice President Jim McKeon

“Henry Friedman blew me away---what a great-looking, athletic, talented guy!”
-Dr. Henry S. Friedman

"I'm so proud of the team we've put together, and for the board to see firsthand these incredible committed researchers, doctors and survivors was a home run.”
-Foundation President Jennifer Brusstar

"Touring the Duke Brain Cancer Center was an absolutely fascinating experience. It was especially meaningful to see how our foundations dollars have been used to further Duke's ground-breaking quality of life research. "Tug would have been so proud to see how the foundation has grown, and know that his legacy has already helped patience who have been under Dr. Freidman's care.”
-Board Member Dava Guerin

“The Tug McGraw Research Center will help to improve the quality of life for brain tumor patients, their families and the health professionals involved in providing their care.”
-Dr. Henry S. Friedman