Anne's Speech:
Delivered at the Dedication Ceremony for the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins -- July 12, 2002

I am honored to be asked to speak today on behalf of the Robert Packard Foundation. For me, these two days are a celebration of Bob�s life, particularly the last nine months of his life, when, despite his daily struggle with ALS, he managed to accomplish so much for the future of ALS Research.

Most of you here today did not know Bob Packard, so I wanted to take a few minutes to tell about him and about how we came to be able to make this gift today.

I came to know Bob through working closely with him as investment bankers in the San Francisco office of Alex. Brown. During the nine years together we worked together, I got to know Bob extremely well and we developed a mutual respect for each other and a deep friendship. Bob was intense, driven, and had high standards of excellence which he applied to himself and those around him. And it was really through this lens that he analyzed the world of ALS Research after his diagnosis.

Bob�s intellect, intensity and drive served him well professionally. In 1994, Bob started the first �new media practice� on the West Coast. In late 1995, Bob was among the first on Wall Street to understand the far-reaching potential of the Internet. And in late 1998, Bob was asked to run the technology practice area on the West Coast. Finally, in June of 1999, Bob left Alex. Brown for his dream job � a partnership at Texas Pacific Group, one of the most successful buyout groups in the country. He was diagnosed with ALS just four months later.

When that diagnosis came in October 1999, people who knew Bob devastated. We couldn�t imaginc what was ahead for Bob in wrestling with this disease. It was impossible to accept that this disease was going to bring down someone so vibrant and dynamic, when he still had so much to experience and offer.

After Bob returned from Johns Hopkins in November of 1999, where he had gotten a confirmatory diagnosis, we met one afternoon in his office. He told me that the visit had caused him to come to grips with the fact that there was no therapy for ALS and, even worse, that there were no clinical trials on the horizon that could help him in his lifetime. But he said he had come away from Johns Hopkins with something like hope. And, indeed, he did seem more at peace that he had been. He had seen a way to fight the disease and create something positive in the midst of the despair.

He had been impressed with the Johns Hopkins research effort and especially with a doctor named Jeffrey Rothstein who had dedicated years of his life to the disease. Bob�s analysis led him to believe that building a sustainable, permanent research institution was the fastest way to make an impact on what remains today a mysterious, fatal illness. And after meeting with Johns Hopkins, he was sure that that was the place to build it. In fact, what Bob saw at Johns Hopkins, was the product of years of work that Jeff had put in personally, and which the Orioles, with their generous gift had helped fund.

During our discussion, Bob told me that one of his great regrets was that, like many of us, he had never had time to slow down and engage in a major charitable or philanthropic activity in his life. But now, with such a short time left to life, it was really important to him to give something back and make a difference for others. That discussion in his office marked the beginning of the Robert Packard Foundation for ALS Research.

Bob worked hard at getting his foundation off the ground. He made personal visits to several donors, even though getting around in his wheelchair was so difficult, physically and emotionally. He worked throughout his last nine months of life to reach out to his circle of friends, colleagues and clients, to educate them about ALS. Bob even attended a foundation board meeting in late June 2000. Since he could no longer speak, he used a laptop program to communicate as we discussed the foundation. His comments were, as always, insightful and visionary.

In just nine short months, Bob achieved extraordinary progress for ALS. He raised over $4.5 million in that time frame, helped structure the Center�s operating guidelines, and educated much of Silicon Valley and San Francisco about ALS. Today, we have raised over $5.25 million and have over 700 donors.

The naming of this Center means a lot to me personally, to his family, including his children who are here today, and to those who contributed to the Foundation. To us it will serve as a constant reminder and example of what the determination of one person and the power of love can do to make a difference.

Through the effort Bob started, we are able to make a gift to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins of $5 million dollars. We are very proud of what we have accomplished, but more importantly, we know that this is only the beginning for this Center. Bob always talked about our gift, the Orioles gift and the Kornfeld gift as laying a runway down, upon which the Center could take off. And, indeed, when I look around this room at the number of people who are involved today, I know Center will truly soar in the future.

The Robert Packard Foundation created a vehicle for people to show their love and support for Bob. Bob recognized that and was deeply grateful. And the beauty of what he started is that that love and support now manifests itself in a long-lasting and far-reaching legacy that will benefit many people with ALS.

I started about by telling you about Bob�s intensity and pursuit of excellence. Bob�s life was cut off way too early at the age of 42, but his life spirit continues on through the Center. His intensity, demands for excellence and determination are embodied in the operations and philosophy of the Robert Packard Center. Because of this alone, I know the Center will be successful in its mission to find a cure for ALS.