The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation today announced the endowment of the W.H. and Betty Phelps Chair in Developmental Biology. The chair was made possible through a $500,000 grant from the McCasland Foundation, of Duncan, Oklahoma.“OMRF is fortunate to have received such a significant gift from the McCasland Foundation,” said OMRF President J. Donald Capra, M.D. “The fundamental importance of this research will undoubtedly contribute to a deeper understanding of all genetic diseases. Equally important, the W.H. and Betty Phelps Chair will complement and assist the genetic research of the majority of OMRF investigators,” Capra continued.
The Developmental Biology Research Program at OMRF uses mouse models to study human disease. The W.H. and Betty Phelps Chair in Developmental Biology will fund world-class molecular biology with an emphasis in gene targeting, especially the genes involved in the development and functioning of the major organs in the body. The McCasland gift will allow OMRF to continue to study a wide variety of diseases, ranging from birth defects to mental retardation, to Alzheimer’s and other aging diseases, to cancer and heart disease.
“Since OMRF is a private, non-profit, biomedical research institute, we are dependent upon the philanthropy of individuals and organizations like the McCasland Foundation,” said Art Cotton, Vice President for Development for OMRF. “Without these gifts, grants, and donations, world-class science and research would not be possible at OMRF. We are deeply appreciative of this gift from the McCasland Foundation.”
The McCasland Foundation is an independent trust established in 1953 by T.H. McCasland Sr., founder of Mack Oil Co., in Duncan, Oklahoma. The purpose of the trust is to support higher education, cultural organizations, arts institutes, social services, and community improvement.
The McCasland grant is part of OMRF’s comprehensive campaign, entitled “For the Future of Medical Research.” This drive seeks to raise $100 million in five years for both endowment needs and capital improvements. As of January 2001, more than $65 million had been received or pledged to the fundraising effort. The campaign was officially launched on November 10, 1999.
Chairman of the “For the Future of Medical Research” campaign is H.W. “Gene” Rainbolt, chairman of BancFirst Corporation and prominent civic leader and philanthropist. OMRF’s Chairman of the Board of Directors is David R. Brown, M.D., Oklahoma City. The campaign committee includes Sharon Bell, partner in Rogers and Bell law firm of Tulsa; Len Cason, partner in Hartzog Conger and Cason of Oklahoma City; Michael A. Cawley, president and CEO of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation of Ardmore; and Brooks (Boots) Hall, Jr., chairman of Fred Jones Automotive Group of Oklahoma City.
Chartered in 1946, OMRF is a private, non-profit biomedical research institution which employs over 400 scientists, physicians, technicians, and administrative and support personnel, including Oklahoma’s only two Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. OMRF focuses on several critical areas of research: Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, lupus and other autoimmune diseases, stroke, AIDS, children’s diseases and genetic disorders.
