ALSAC/St. Jude Mourns the Loss of Former CEO Richard C. S...(use since Danny Thomas and Mike Tamer th...),Health

Dr. William E. Evans, director and CEO of St. Jude, said that Shadyac always did what it took to support the mission of St. Jude.

"As a Board member and then as ALSAC CEO, Dick Shadyac was always there for us, doing whatever was necessary to ensure we had the resources to provide unsurpassed patient care and world-class research for children with catastrophic diseases," Evans said. "He never lost his drive or his focus - it was always on the children."

During his tenure as CEO, public support for St. Jude increased from around $100 million a year in 1992 to more than $400 million in 2005. By the time he retired, ALSAC had become the third largest health-care charity in the United States. Today, it is the second largest, according to the Philanthropy 400, an annual survey conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

"Dick Shadyac was a tireless champion of our mission and every child and their parents who walked through the doors of St. Jude," said Marlo Thomas, national outreach director of St. Jude and daughter of founder Danny Thomas. "We are not just losing a great man, we are losing a patriarch of our St. Jude family who played a critical role in the history of St. Jude and ALSAC. He is with my dear father now. I hope we make them proud as we follow the path they have set for us."

Joseph G. Shaker, who served as chairman of the ALSAC Board of Directors during Shadyac's tenure as CEO, offered praise by comparing Shadyac to the founder of St. Jude, saying, "When you say Danny Thomas, the next words you say are Dick Shadyac. You can't get any closer to living the legend of Danny Thomas than through Dick Shadyac. The entire St. Jude family is going to miss him greatly."

Services will be held in the Washington, D.C. area and in Memphis.