The Arnold Family Legacy

A Heritage of Giving

Grace Heffernan Arnold photo courtesy of Robert M. Arnold family

With his unrestricted $15 million gift to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Robert M. Arnold honors the legacy of his parents, noted Seattle philanthropist and Seattle-First bank executive Lawrence M. Arnold and his wife, Grace Heffernan Arnold. The Arnold family's generous gifts make it possible for the Center to pursue a broad range of scientific research and patient services.

From Grace to Guild

The Hutchinson Center's Grace Heffernan Arnold Guild is named for Arnold's mother, who passed away in 1960 at the age of 62. A Port Townsend native, Grace Heffernan moved to Seattle in the early 1900s and married Lawrence M. Arnold, a third-generation banker. She became a tireless supporter of medical research, founding the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation, a precursor of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Following her death from cancer, Lawrence M. Arnold and son Robert donated $250,000 to the Hutchinson Center in memory of Grace Arnold and another son, Lawrence Jr., who also died of cancer. The Center named its library in the family's honor, and today the Arnold Library continues to serve Hutchinson Center scientists and others around the world.

In 1975, the Grace Heffernan Arnold Guild was formed in her honor. Though it began humbly with a small dinner party, today the Arnold Guild's Hutch Holiday Gala is the center's most lucrative annual event, having raised more than $41.3 million for the Center's medical-research and patient/family programs.

A Son's Dedication

Following the death of Lawrence M. Arnold in 1976, Robert M. Arnold succeeded his father on Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center board of directors. The younger Arnold served on the Finance and Gift Acceptance committees and in 1993 was appointed as a founding member of the Hutchinson Center's Senior Council, on which he continues to serve. He has been donating to the Hutchinson Center since 1961.

At the 1994 Hutch Holiday Gala, the Grace Heffernan Arnold Guild honored Robert M. Arnold as the recipient of the Distinguished Community Service Award. For past five years he has served as an honorary gala trustee.