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The Esther Z. Greenberg Honors Chair in Biomedical Research

When an executive at one of Wall Street’s leading investment firms wanted to honor his mother, he had many options to choose from. But instead of throwing his mother a party or showering her with lavish gifts, Alan C. “Ace” Greenberg established an endowment at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in his mother’s name. In the two decades since, his generosity has helped unlock the mysteries of human disease—not only at OMRF and in Oklahoma but in medical laboratories around the globe.

In 1986, Greenberg gave OMRF $1 million to create the Esther Z. Greenberg Honors Chair in Biomedical Research. The chair was created as a way to bring international scientists to OMRF, fostering collaborations with researchers from around the world. And the formula has worked: To date, 27 scientists from around the globe have spent from three months to a year conducting research in OMRF labs. And both OMRF and the international visitors have reaped the benefits of these collaborations.

“A visiting senior scientist often can invigorate and re-energize a research program,” said Paul Kincade, Ph.D., whose laboratory has welcomed five Greenberg Scholars. “In some cases, the scholar simply gave seminars; others got involved in collaborative experiments. I can honestly say that one of the five in our program dramatically changed the direction of our studies.”

Greenberg, who until recently served as chairman and chief executive officer of Bear Stearns Corp. in New York City, selected OMRF as the recipient of his money because his mother had lived in Oklahoma City for more than 70 years, and his father suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 35 years.

“We thought if we could do something that could help the future of people in Oklahoma and every place with the chance to bring experts to Oklahoma, we could make headway toward fighting the disease,” said Greenberg, who now serves as chairman of Bear Stearns’ executive committee. “My father’s illness, as bad as it was, made us conscious that we needed to do something for the future.”

Charitable giving always has been a priority for the former University of Oklahoma football player. He requires his employees to donate a percentage of their salaries to charities of their choice. When he recently sold some Bear Stearns stock, he gave some of the proceeds—millions of dollars—to organizations across the country.

The first Greenberg Scholars—Dr. Michael Sela and Dr. Michael Schlesinger—came to OMRF in 1987 from Israel. Since then, OMRF has welcomed researchers from Japan, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Argentina, Hungary and a host of other nations.

Dr. John Owen came from the United Kingdom as a Greenberg Scholar in 2001. “This is a great thing you’ve got with this Greenberg Scholar system,” he said. “[The] concept itself certainly lends an international flavor to the environment at OMRF. The facilities here are absolutely first-rate. The research is definitely international class, and I found it easy to live in Oklahoma City and easy to get around.”

When selecting Greenberg Scholars, OMRF seeks out scientists who are distinguished in areas of research not represented in Oklahoma and whose expertise can enhance existing research areas at OMRF. OMRF scientific staff members submit nominations to a selection committee, which determines scientists who shall receive an invitation. Those selected as Greenberg Scholars receive free housing and use of a car as well as a stipend for their research.

“If you get a good scientist who comes here, he or she is going to interact with at least a subset of OMRF scientists. That person, by definition, is going to bring new ideas and a new perspective whether they come from an American institution and certainly if they come from a foreign institution,” said Rodger McEver, M.D., OMRF vice president of research. “It has the potential to lead to new collaborations in the future. Clearly anyone who spends a sabbatical here will learn a lot more about this institution, so in that sense, it’s one of the many ways where we’re on the international scientific map.”

As each new scholar arrives at OMRF, the Esther Z. Greenberg Chair continues to help scientists from across the globe in their quest to find treatments and cure for human disease. And for Ace Greenberg, that ability to share his success with the world is what drives his philanthropy.

“I used to joke that when someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say I’d like to be a philanthropist because they seem to have a lot of money,” he has said. “I have always tried to be very fair. I make it a point that anyone who has known me has a good taste in their mouth. To do that, I give more than I take.”

Past Esther Z. Greenberg Scholars