[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22324-22325]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ON THE PASSING OF RICHARD SHADYAC

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 22, 2009

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. 
Richard Shadyac, the former C.E.O. of the American Lebanese Syrian 
Associated Charities (ALSAC), the fundraising arm of St. Jude 
Children's Research Hospital.
  Mr. Shadyac passed away last Wednesday at the age of 80. For many 
years, he split his time between Memphis, Tennessee and the Washington, 
D.C. area.
  He was widowed in 2001 when he lost his first wife, Juliette. He 
leaves behind their two

[[Page 22325]]

children, Richard and Thomas, as well as two grandchildren. Richard 
followed his father's footsteps and recently assumed the position of 
C.E.O. of ALSAC on September first of this year. Thomas is a celebrated 
comedian, producer, director and writer in Los Angeles. Mr. Shadyac 
also leaves behind his wife of seven years, Lynn Caruthers Shadyac of 
McLean, Virginia.
  Here in Washington, Mr. Shadyac was well known for advocating on 
behalf of the government of Libya. He also had a hand in the founding 
of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
  Mr. Shadyac received his Juris Doctor from Boston University in 1952. 
He served in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps during the Korean 
War. After he left the Army, Mr. Shadyac went to work at the Justice 
Department. Later, he became a founding partner of two law firms: 
McGinnis, Berg, Shadyac and Nolan and Metzger, Shadyac and Schwartz.
  Thirty years after becoming a board member for St. Jude, Richard 
Shadyac became the C.E.O. of the hospital's fundraising operation in 
1992. He held this position for 13 years, leading an effort that raised 
millions upon millions of dollars for the purpose of researching and 
treating childhood cancer and other diseases.
  In 1985, St. Jude seriously considered leaving Memphis, Tennessee to 
relocate to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. It was 
through Richard Shadyac's efforts that the hospital remains in Memphis 
today. I first met him when I was a Tennessee State Senator. He was on 
one of his many trips to Nashville, where he would adroitly encourage 
state officials to work to keep St. Jude in Tennessee. He advocated for 
his cause throughout the halls of the Tennessee State Capitol, and it 
was through these efforts that we became friends. I cherished his 
friendship in Memphis for many years, as well as in Washington D.C. 
when I joined the United States Congress.
  After the death of his good friend and St. Jude's founder, Danny 
Thomas, Mr. Shadyac took the reins to ensure that the hospital would 
remain stable and secure. Without Mr. Thomas to publicly promote the 
hospital, it was Richard who decided that the children should be the 
new face of St. Jude. Under his leadership, St. Jude's donations 
increased four-fold.
  Mr. Shadyac displayed a great interest in the individual well-being 
of St. Jude's patients. He would often visit the children and their 
families at the hospital. It was Mr. Shadyac who gave them a voice in 
the fight against cancer.
  Upon his retirement, St. Jude's fundraising operation, the American 
Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, was ranked among the three 
largest health care charities in the country.
  My heart goes out to Mr. Shadyac's family, as well as the St. Jude 
community. Richard Shadyac dedicated his life to finding a cure for 
childhood cancer. He leaves behind a strong legacy of good will and 
deeds, and will forever be remembered by the Memphis and St. Jude 
communities.

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