Dr. Scofield’s Journal
Let’s switch it up this week. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame just published a book commemorating a very special birthday for both of us – the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s 80th.
So, you wrote that book. Care to share an interesting detail or two that you learned in the process?
Adam Prescribes
Oklahoma is a relatively young – or, in the words of our namesake musical, “brand new” – state. So, we’re not typically in the old guard when it comes to history.
But for independent research institutes, it turns out we are. OMRF was born right after World War II, which puts us distinctly on the early side.
Today, there are something like 80 independent research institutes in the U.S. Most sprang from the gift of a single large benefactor or a small group of philanthropists. OMRF is the only one born from a statewide fund drive.
I thought that was pretty cool. And I loved learning about how people from all corners of the state embraced the cause.
Starting with a “Research Week” proclaimed by the governor in 1947, 7,500 Oklahomans made gifts that transformed the dream of a medical research institute into reality. Those donations ranged from as little as 30 cents up to $100,000.
I was particularly touched by a gift George and Grace Marlow made in memory of their late son. “If through our small contribution, we can help in saving one life, keep one mother’s heart from breaking, we will be grateful,” Grace said.
Lacking a Rockefeller or Carnegie to lead the charge, campaign organizers got creative. They held a “slow but sure” turtle derby at the stockyards. Sherman Billingsley, an Oklahoma native and owner of New York’s famed Stork Club, worked to secure a significant contribution from the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund. Doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists from across Oklahoma all rallied their ranks to give in dedicated statewide initiatives.
Hollywood even played a part. World War II hero and movie star Audie Murphy premiered his film “Bad Boy” in Oklahoma City, with a portion of box office proceeds going to OMRF.
All told, those efforts raised more than $2 million in gifts and pledges. Still, when Sir Alexander Fleming, the British scientist who discovered penicillin, came to Oklahoma to speak at OMRF’s groundbreaking, he declared the new foundation “a frightful gamble.”
I’d like to think it’s a gamble that’s paid off. In the years since, OMRF scientists have made countless discoveries that have advanced understanding and treatment of disease. Labs at OMRF have created life-changing drugs now available in hospitals and clinics across the U.S., and OMRF physicians now treat thousands of people living with diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis.
I’d also like to think that those first supporters – the ones who took the frightful gamble – would be proud of what their generosity has made possible eight decades later. “This is one of the finest things we of Oklahoma have ever attempted,” said an early donor. “Such a wonderful movement cannot fail.”
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Dr. Hal Scofield is a physician-scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and he also serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
