WVU Cancer Center to celebrate 26th annual gala at The Greenbrier

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center will host its 26th annual Gala at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs April 15-17. The gala provides supporters of the Cancer Center an opportunity to celebrate the growth and development of West Virginia’s most comprehensive cancer treatment, research and educational facility.

This year’s theme “Joie de Vivre,” the enjoyment of life, will feature a program with many special and talented guests to educate, inspire and entertain gala participants.

Chris Matthews, host of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” on MSNBC and “The Chris Matthews Show” on NBC, will be the keynote speaker at 4 p.m. Saturday. A television news anchor with remarkable depth of experience, Matthews has distinguished himself as a broadcast journalist, newspaper bureau chief, presidential speechwriter and best-selling author. He is the recipient of the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Abraham Lincoln Award from the Union of Philadelphia and the Gold Medal Award from the Pennsylvania Society.

Cancer Center Director Scot Remick, M.D., will update gala attendees on the Center’s accomplishments over the last year and its action plan for the future. “We are committed to working together, developing partnerships to ensure the success of statewide initiatives, leading innovation for cancer cure discovery and creating hope for our patients and the families we serve. All of these endeavors are leading us on to our own ‘Final Four’ – National Cancer Institute Designation – which we could not achieve without the support of all our partners.”

Dr. Remick, Cancer Center Deputy Director Laura Gibson, Ph.D., and a team of researchers and physicians will lead “Cancer Education for Gala Participants,” a course on how blood cancers are initially detected and how patients are diagnosed and treated.

West Virginia native Vivien Woofter, who began her distinguished career with the federal government as the interior designer for the General Services Administration, and later, the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of State, will discuss some of the most valuable ambassador’s residences, chanceries and other properties around the world. 

Gala participants will be treated to a culinary demonstration with Chef Andre Soltner, the chef-owner of New York City’s legendary Lutece, which achieved a four-star rating from the New York Times. The co-author of “The Lutece Cookbook,” Chef Andre has served for more than 20 years as Delegue General of the Master Chef’s of France.

Meredith German, co-founder of the Meredith Wendell Company of New York that specializes in accessories, will display and offer items from her line of belts, bags and jewelry for purchase to benefit the Cancer Center.

The 26th annual Cancer Center Gala will also include tennis, golf and sporting clays and will culminate with a black-tie dinner dance featuring the sounds of Benny Benack and his orchestra at 7 p.m. Saturday evening. Registration is $375 per person. Accommodations are available through The Greenbrier.

For more information about the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, see www.wvucancer.org.