When Jim Schindler passed away last year, he left more than $1 million in his estate to the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center at the University of Minnesota in memory of his old friend.
Schindler and Allison played minor league baseball together in the 1950s. They remained friends off the field for decades after that.
Schindler directed the money in his estate toward the creation of an endowed chair, which will be used to attract or keep top-notch ataxia researchers at the University. Thanks to Schindler’s generosity, funding for the position—called the James Schindler and Bob Allison Ataxia Chair in Translational Research—is now at about $1.3 million. But $2 million is needed to realize the chair’s full potential.
Translational research, the process of turning breakthroughs in the lab into new treatments for patients, is crucial to scientific progress, says ataxia researcher Harry T. Orr, Ph.D.
“Having an endowed chair in this area at the University will ensure that translational research is fostered here and that Minnesota remains at the forefront of finding a cure for ataxia,” Orr says. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we have something of use for patients.”
If you are interested in contributing to the James Schindler and Bob Allison Ataxia Chair in Translational Research, you can give online at www.mmf.umn.edu/ataxia.
