Philanthropists endow lymphoma research chair at the Hutchinson Center

For James and Sherry Raisbeck, fighting lymphoma is a very personal matter. In 2000, the Raisbecks lost one of their closest friends to the disease - Dr. Penny Petersen, who left behind her husband and two young daughters.

"This terribly debilitating and often-fatal disease must be understood, treated and conquered," James said. "We can think of no better place to help expedite this process than the Hutchinson Center."

By donating $1.5 million to the Center, the Raisbecks sent waves through the philanthropic and research communities. Their gift — a challenge grant announced at the 2000 Hutch Holiday Gala — attracted an equal sum in matching money from other like-minded donors. The donations, in turn, supported cutting-edge lymphoma research at the center.

"You get to the point in life where you wonder about what you're leaving behind and what contribution you've made," said James, CEO and chairman of Raisbeck Engineering, Inc. "Sherry and I are fortunate enough to have reached the giving stage of our lives relatively early."

"We feel blessed to be in a position to be able to give a gift like this to a place like the Hutchinson Center," said Sherry, an artist and former special-education teacher.

The Raisbecks established the Dr. Penny E. Petersen Memorial Chair for Lymphoma Research to support the Center's groundbreaking lymphoma research. Dr. Oliver Press currently holds the chair and has recently made important breakthroughs in immunotherapy, an exciting field in which the innate cancer-fighting potential of the immune system is harnessed to develop effective new cancer treatments.