Other Honorees Include Dr. Paul Terasaki and Camila Koenig and Family and The Erich and Della Koenig Foundation

LOS ANGELES, CA, December 4, 2012 – University Kidney Research Organization (UKRO), whose mission is fundraising supporting medical research dedicated to the causes of, improved treatments for, and the prevention of kidney diseases, announced today that legendary USC Athletics Director Patrick C. Haden will be honored with UKRO’s “Outstanding Achievement in Business and Industry” Award at its forthcoming gala benefit dinner. The gala, to be mc’d by ABC7 Eyewitness News anchor Phillip Palmer, will be held December 12 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles and will raise funds for the newly announced USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center.

Since August of 2010, Haden has served as the Athletic Director at the University of Southern California where he administers 21 athletic programs with more than 600 student athletes. He also serves on the faculty of both the Annenberg School of Communications at USC and the Marshall School of Business. Haden has been closely identified with USC since college when he was a star quarterback (1972-1974) of the football team leading them to two national championships and three Rose Bowl appearances and was named most valuable player of the 1975 Rose Bowl game. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1975 and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in England, from which he graduated in 1978 with a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. Haden was drafted by the then Los Angeles Rams in 1976 and played on the team until 1981. Following a successful NFL career, Haden became a sports broadcaster for CBS, NBC, FOX, TNT, and ESPN networks. He established a successful law practice and from 1987 to 2010 was a general partner at Riordan, Lewis & Haden, a private equity firm.

“Pat Haden is a remarkable and extraordinary man by any standard of measurement,” said UKRO president Kenneth Kleinberg. “His career reflects a succession of triumphs in every endeavor he pursued—as a student, an athlete, a lawyer, businessman, and now in charge of USC Athletics. He is AAA in every way. We are very proud to be able to recognize him for a lifetime of achievements in business, industry, and as a model citizen, and we thank him for helping us make funding research against kidney disease a national medical priority.”

Earlier this year, UKRO joined forces with the Keck School of Medicine of USC to establish the USC/UKRO Kidney Research Center (KRC). The KRC will focus on both basic and applied research programs at USC to identify the causes, improve upon the existing treatments, and—ultimately—find a cure for all forms of kidney disease. The center looks to be a premier national kidney research center under the auspices of the Keck School of Medicine’s nephrology division, chaired by Vito M. Campese, M.D., professor of medicine, who also chairs UKRO’s Medical Scientific Advisory Board.

Being honored in addition to Haden are:

Camila Koenig and Family and their family foundation–The Erich and Della Koenig Foundation, who will share the “Spirit of Life Award” for their long-time commitment to philanthropy. Erich Koenig fled Nazi Germany in 1935 at age 27 and emigrated to Mexico. He secured the safe passage to Mexico for his parents in 1939 and became a successful businessman and entrepreneur. He met his future wife, Della, an Italian immigrant to America, on a business trip to Los Angeles in 1952 and after their marriage, raised their five children, Camila, Julie Ann, Bernardo, Miguel, and Enrique in Mexico. After Erich’s death in 1980, Della Koenig returned to Los Angeles and established the foundation that bears their name and embarked upon decades of charitable endeavors.

Dr. Paul Terasaki, renowned professor emeritus of surgery at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will be honored with the “Lifetime Achievement in Science and Medicine Award” for his pioneering work in the field of human organ transplant research and technology. Dr. Terasaki developed the microcytotoxicity text, a revolutionary tissue typing test used to identify human antigens. The test was adopted as the international standard for tissue typing. He and a corporation he founded in 1984, One Lambda, have played a central role in the development of tissue typing and transplantation surgery in the world. He established the Terasaki Foundation, a research center dedicated to cancer immunotherapy and the study of humoral immunity and transplantation. In May 2010, UCLA announced the naming of the new life science building for Dr. Terasaki, who donated $50 million to the Division of Life Sciences in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. Dr. Terasaki has been married for 58 years to renowned artist Hisako Terasaki.

“Dr. Paul Terasaki is one of the legendary figures in the world of organ transplantation, and we are thrilled to have the privilege of honoring his work and life achievements,” Kleinberg noted.

For event and ticket information concerning the UKRO gala, contact: Mann Productions 323-314-7000 – mann.productions@sbcglobal.net.