Photo: Tony Markel (center) with his two daughters, son-in-law, and late wife Susan who lost her life to Primary Peritoneal Cancer in 2008.
Tony Markel, an insurance executive who personally donated $1 million in 2008 toward curative research of Primary Peritoneal Cancer at City of Hope Hospital in California, has agreed to join the Foundation's Honorary Board of Directors.
Tony joins three other Honorary Board Directors including PGA golf legend Arnold Palmer, Ron Dodson who is the president of Audubon International, and Dr. Jim Fiorica of Sarasota who also serves on the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board.
Tony and his daughters have also made a very generous contribution to the Foundation in the amount of $25,000 to help get the organization off the ground. Tony knows the pain of PPC all too well after his wife Susan passed away from this insidious disease just thirteen months after diagnosis. Before her passing, Tony and Susan established the Markel-Friedman Fund with a personal contribution of $1 million. The mission of that Fund is to identify early screening and curative research for PPC and Ovarian Cancers, most of which is currently earmarked for research at City of Hope. The Foundation intends to work closely with Markel-Friedman on helping to find additional opportunities in the future.
Tony is a third generation insurance executive after his grandfather started Markel Corporation in Virginia. Tony expanded the company into specialty lines and has grown the company into a multi-billion dollar international insurance company. Tony was named "Man of the Year" in 2006 at City of Hope Hospital and is widely recognized by his peers in the insurance industry.
The Foundation is pleased to welcome Tony to our Honorary Board and we are humbled by his help in lending his name to fight against this terrorist known as PPC.
AK
