It is with great pleasure that we announce the honorees 2008 An Evening with the Stars gala: Tabach-Bank family, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and Mr. Jeffrey Zaslow. We acknowledge each honoree for their commitment and dedication to fighting pancreatic cancer and supporting our mission to advance research, support patients and create hope for everyone touched by the disease. Tabach-Bank Family Emily Couric Public Service Award Jeannie Zimmelman and Brad Tabach-Bank fell in love on a blind date in November 1974. From the moment they saw each other, their fate was sealed. By June of the following year, they were married at the bride’s childhood home in Beverly Hills, and their relationship became one that was admired by all. Ten months older than her beau, Jeannie always relished the two months when they were exactly the same age. This amazing couple was even delivered by the same doctor! (A fact they discovered when applying for their marriage license.) They were best friends, golf partners, and each other’s comic relief. They sang together, they traveled the world, they hosted dinner parties, they raised a family, and they did it always as a team. Groomed by her father, Louis, Jeannie was a natural entrepreneur. Her job was to run the family business, Beverly Loan Company, a collateral lender that Louis began in 1938. It was a place where Hollywood’s elite and affluent Westsiders could discreetly turn in their jewelry for cash.. After her father’s passing in 1995, Jeannie continued to manage the business by the standards taught by her father – respecting your customers and maintaining their confidentiality. Jeannie became the poster child for the upscale pawnshop, and she was featured in numerous articles in People, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. Running a business was just one of the things that took up her time. Her other job was being a wonderful wife and mother. She was a devoted matriarch who always made time for her family. Her children, Lauren and Jordan, use many adjectives to describe her: beautiful, caring, affectionate (but not overbearing), warm, silly, intelligent, successful (but modest), generous, savvy and just plain fun. She cooked meals they describe as “unbelievable brisket” and “outrageous roast chicken”, as well as exotic recipes from the pages of the cookbooks and gourmet magazines she was always reading; they marvel at how she always made sure each meal featured the four food groups, including dessert! Jeannie was not your ordinary mother, she had incredible talents as a mom - she could whistle louder than anyone at a ball game, she could name the artist behind every American contemporary painting at LACMA, and she could play a mean game of poker. She was definitely one-of-a-kind. Jeannie was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2004. While battling the disease, the family pulled together to investigate every possible resource for a cure, contacting doctors around the country, and even traveling to Ireland for experimental therapy. Extended family and friends flocked to the Tabach-Bank’s home to visit Jeannie with an outpouring of support. During this difficult time, the family bonds only grew stronger. Lauren, a successful fashion publicist in New York, packed up and moved home to Los Angeles. She stayed by her mother’s side and took on many roles, including nurse, assistant, chauffeur and stylist. But her most important role was to be the most loving daughter any mother could ever ask for. Whether they were shopping, taking walks, or just spending quiet time together, this mother and daughter team never let the cancer take over. Younger brother Jordan, a self-proclaimed, “mama’s boy,” became a lawyer and then took over the family business, having learned the art of lending and the ability to grade a diamond from his unique teacher – his mom. Growing up, he used to love making prank calls to Jeannie at work asking if he could get a loan on a toaster oven, and in return, Jeannie used to love making him laugh with her renditions of hip hop songs. Jordan is married to his college sweetheart, Casey, who also became an integral part of the Tabach-Bank family. Surrounded by family and friends, Jeannie’s will to survive did not waver from the day she was diagnosed until her very last breath. Her perseverance and tenacity stemmed from two simple loves: her family and life. Although Brad, Lauren and Jordan lost their wife and mother prematurely, they have made sure that she will not be forgotten. The Tabach-Bank Family is being honored tonight with the “Emily Couric Public Service Award” because they have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to advancing research for pancreatic cancer. They joined the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in March for Advocacy Day and shared their story of loss with Congress. Brad Tabach-Bank says, “It was painful and sad to relive Jeannie’s fight with pancreatic cancer, but I know that one day there will be hope for those diagnosed. This disease can be treated, and we can make a difference now.” The family has also set up a fund in Jeannie’s name through the Israeli Cancer Research Foundation called the “Jeannie Tabach-Bank Memorial Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research” and is directly supporting a researcher in Israel who is doing ground breaking research. Not a single day goes by without the family thinking of Jeannie. Her children put it most eloquently, “Even if she weren’t my mom, I would have wanted her as a best friend.” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong Medical Visionary Award Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a noted research scientist, physician and surgeon who has devoted his career to developing next-generation technology to enhance the medical care of patients facing life-threatening diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. He is a leader in translational medicine and is responsible for developing the nanoparticle delivery technology upon which the first FDA approved biologically interactive chemotherapy drug known as ABRAXANER is based. Since January 2005, the drug has been available for treatment of advanced stage metastatic breast cancer, and it is currently being developed for lung, melanoma, and pancreatic cancers. There is a clinical trial currently open for pancreatic cancer patients. Numerous national and international awards have been bestowed on him, including the Association for Academic Surgery Award for Research, the American College of Surgeons Schering Scholar, the Royal College Physicians and Surgeons Research Award, the Peter Kiewit Distinguished Membership in Medicine Award, and the International J.W. Hyatt Award for Service to Mankind. Dr. Soon-Shiong received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the St. Mary Medical Center Life Achievement Award and the St. John’s Health Center Caritas Award in 2007, and he achieved the Gilda Club Award for the advancement of cancer medicine in 2006. Dr. Soon-Shiong serves on several boards, including the Board of Directors for the National Institute of Transplantation, the Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles, the Advisory Board of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and two RAND Corporation advisory boards. He is also on the board of the Technology Council for the new Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Northwestern University which is part of the National Cancer Institute’s five-year initiative for nanotechnology in cancer research. Dr. Soon-Shion is a co-inventor of over 50 issued U.S. patents and has published more than 100 scientific papers. He holds a degree in medicine from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and a Master of Science from the University of British Columbia. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Mr. Jeffrey Zaslow Spirit of Hope Award Jeffrey Zaslow is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal and co-author of the current international bestseller The Last Lecture. While The Wall Street Journal covers the heart of the financial world, Zaslow tends to the hearts of its readers. His column, Moving On, focuses on life transitions and often attracts wide media interest. That was certainly the case in September 2007 when Zaslow wrote about Randy Pausch after he attended the professor’s final lecture at Carnegie Mellon. The Last Lecture is now being translated into 36 languages, is a #1 New York Times best-seller and has topped best-seller lists around the world. There are more than 4 million copies in print in the U.S. alone. In 2000, Zaslow received the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, given to a newspaper columnist who exemplifies the ideals and public service work of the noted humorist and columnist. In 2003 and 2005, Zaslow's column was named the best general-interest column in a newspaper with over 100,000 circulation by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. In 2008, he received the Distinguished Column Writing Award from the New York Newspaper Publishers Association. Zaslow’s professional work has created much tangible benefit in the community, both locally and globally. His writing positively impacts readers’ lives, even helping them make significant changes in their daily outlook. A Philadelphia native, Zaslow is a 1980 graduate of Carnegie Mellon, where he majored in creative writing. His wife, Sherry Margolis, is a TV news anchor with WJBK in Detroit. They have three daughters.