In Memoriam

The Thrasher Research Fund is saddened to announce the passing of Mr. E.W. "Al" Thrasher on July 3, 2005. Following is an excerpt from a tribute read at his funeral on July 10, 2005.

"Perhaps the greatest gift that a man can bequeath to the world is to leave it a better place because he was here. And the world is a better place because of Al Thrasher's generosity and his love for children. It was his concern for children that led to the establishment of the Thrasher Research Fund, a pediatric research fund dedicated to the prevention and treatment of childrens diseases.

Thanks to Al Thrasher, his vision and his generous support, there are children in many countries throughout the world who literally have been given life. With a Thrasher grant, a Duke University researcher developed the simplest method imaginable to deliver a vital nutrient to hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant mothers in a remote region of China. The infant death rate dropped dramatically, and the number of children born with birth defects dropped to almost zero. The method was replicated throughout China and other countries. In another region of the world, an inexpensive new treatment for eye infections was developed, which prevented blindness in thousands of children whose parents were unable to afford the more expensive treatments. In Bangladesh, a simple method was developed to filter cholera bacteria from drinking water.

Throughout the United States, Thrasher-funded research is making a difference in the lives of children. A new test was developed to determine the maturity of fetal lungs that helps doctors know when at-risk babies can be delivered. World renowned scientists armed with Thrasher grants are investigating causes and treatments for childhood asthma, childhood obesity, methods for treatment of children at burn centers, and a host of other childhood diseases and conditions, totaling nearly 500 projects over the short history of the Fund. All of this is possible because of the vision of Al Thrasher.

As the Funds staff travels throughout the world to visit the project sites, they witness the faces of the children. They see infants who are free from the challenges of life-threatening diseases, toddlers who have strength and vitality rather than sickness, and children who have sight instead of blindness. They see mothers and fathers who have children to love and raise. Perhaps none of these children will ever see a picture of Mr. E. W. Al Thrasher, or hear of him, but they will see and hear in part because of Mr. Thrashers dedication to the children of the world.

I shall miss Al Thrasher, but his living legacy, a fund which will bear his name in perpetuity, will be an ever present reminder that the children of the world will suffer less because one man cared. Al Thrashers life gives credence to the adage that it takes only one person to make a difference, and a difference he has indeed made. His presence will be greatly missed and the world lessened by his absence."

A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D., MBA, MPH
President, Thrasher Research Fund