ALSAC/St. Jude Mourns the Loss of Former CEO Richard C. S...( MEMPHIS Tenn. Sept....),Health

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Richard C. Shadyac Sr., who served 13 years as CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital(R), passed away Wednesday evening after battling a long-term illness.

Shadyac was a long-time Board member and close confidant for many years of St. Jude founder Danny Thomas. He played a critical stabilizing role for ALSAC when he took over as CEO in 1992, not long after Thomas passed away. He was a champion of St. Jude patients and was noted for getting to know them personally, keeping many of their photos in his office during his years as CEO.

David L. McKee, ALSAC's chief operating officer, served with Shadyac throughout his tenure and called him "a great leader who helped propel ALSAC and St. Jude to unprecedented heights."

"Mr. Shadyac always said that being CEO of ALSAC wasn't a job. It was a love affair," McKee said. "We will always remember his devotion, his commitment and his love for the children of St. Jude. He motivated his staff to achieve their best through his own dedication, and he invested his all into raising the funds that St. Jude needed to continue its lifesaving work."

Shadyac, a former attorney, joined the ALSAC/St. Jude Board of Directors and Governors in 1963 and acted as general counsel for ALSAC. He served as chairman of the ALSAC Board of Directors in the 1960s and 1970s and as the chairman of the St. Jude Board of Governors in the 1980s. In 1992, he was appointed CEO of ALSAC following the retirement of Baddia J. Rashid. Shadyac retired in 2005, but continued to serve as a member of the Board.

"The Board of Directors feels a great loss today," said Camille Sarrouf Jr., chairman of the ALSAC Board of Directors. "We have lost one of the legends of our organization and arguably the most tireless advocate of our ca
'/>"/>