Longtime philanthropists Joe and Pam Alexander will support the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology well into the future through their “Celebration of Life” endowment.
“Giving back to the community that has given so much to us has become our dream,” said Pam and Joe. “We wanted to do something that would continue beyond our lifetime.”
Utilizing the Community Foundation, which they helped found, the Alexanders will bequeath $1 million to be invested in the “Joe and Pam Alexander Celebration of Life” legacy fund for the continual benefit of HudsonAlpha.
Joe, an Ohio native and former President of Camber Corporation, retired in 2011 after 20 years with the company. Prior to joining Camber, he spent 22 years serving in the U.S. Army.
Pam, also an Ohio native, is a retired registered nurse who is passionate about health issues and the need to treat and cure devastating diseases, including those being studied by HudsonAlpha scientists. A 12-year breast cancer survivor, Pam recognizes the importance of research conducted on the genomic level.
“I have been a nurse all of my life and have taken care of friends and relatives with cancer,” Pam said. “However, when I developed breast cancer, it put a whole new perspective on this devastating disease for me. I don’t wish for anyone to have to go through what my husband and I went through battling my breast cancer. It is our hope that someday the research being conducted at HudsonAlpha will eliminate this and other types of cancer.”
The Alexanders are among the inaugural members of HudsonAlpha’s Double Helix Society. This program formally recognizes those who utilize planned giving to benefit the Institute. While it may be years before some of these gifts are realized, HudsonAlpha leaders believe it is important to recognize those donors today for their commitment to the Institute.
“We are very grateful to Joe and Pam for their support,” said HudsonAlpha President and Science Director Rick Myers. “They are generous in their annual giving and have now demonstrated an even deeper level of support by including HudsonAlpha in their estate plans. It is that long-term vision that will help sustain and expand our work well into the future and make sure that we remain world class not just years, but generations from now.”
HudsonAlpha is hosting its first Double Helix Society luncheon on Monday, June 15. Anyone who is interested in learning about planned giving opportunities at the Institute can contact Karen Petersen at kpetersen@hudsonalpha.org or 256-327-9434.
