The American Cancer Society is presenting its highest award, the Medal of Honor, to four Americans who have contributed to the fight against cancer, including Utah philanthropist and businessman Jon M. Huntsman.
He was honored in the category of philanthropy. The other honorees include Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., for cancer control; Mina J. Bissell, distinguished scientist at the Life Sciences Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and on the faculty of University of California Berkeley, for basic research; and Susan Band Horowitz, distinguished professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York, for clinical research.
Huntsman, founder and chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals, was honored for cancer philanthropy. He and his wife, Karen, have raised or personally contributed more than $600 million to the fight against cancer. They donated more than $100 million to establish the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. In 2000, the Huntsmans and their children pledged another $125 million to fund ongoing cancer research and to build a cancer research hospital. Recently, they announced they will raise or donate another $125 million toward completion of an expansion project that will double the size of the Huntsman Cancer Hospital.
The awards were to be presented in New York City at the American Cancer Society's annual meeting Thursday night.