I have also always told Laman that when he s ready, I m going to hire him as a full-time

Transcription

1 CII Five Year Anniversary September 21, 2012, 5:00 p.m. Cardiovascular Innovation Institute Thank you, Laman. Thank you for your personal friendship. Thank you for all that you do for the University of Louisville; thank you for all of your years of service to the people of this community. Laman is a legend! I can t tell you how many times I ve been out with Laman and someone has said to me, That gentleman saved my live, my father s life, etc. I have also always told Laman that when he s ready, I m going to hire him as a full-time 1

2 student recruiter. For ten years Laman has traveled with me to all parts of the state visiting high schools. The very best students Governor s Scholars, National Merit, STEM students want to have the opportunity to hear from Laman he has a profound impact on these very best students. I used to kid Laman when we traveled around the state that he carried all of his artificial hearts and assist devices in a ratty old bag, so I think at some point Julie got him a much nicer bag to take into the schools. Laman is a special person and this project that we are celebrating today The Cardiovascular 2

3 Innovation Institute would not have been possible without his vision and leadership. You see, a little over 10 years ago I was state budget director. I was working with a neat guy, Dr. William Bill Brundage Bill was putting together an economic development plan for the Commonwealth of Kentucky tied to innovation and commercialization. Bill came to me excitedly one day and said, I need 5 million dollars. I said Bill, times are tough (That s in the learning manual for any budget director there s never any money.) 3

4 In any case, Bill went on to tell me about the incredible work being done in Louisville, Kentucky in a partnership between the University of Louisville and Jewish Hospital. Bill said it was world-class and this was a great economic opportunity for the state. So, we found the $5M, Hank Wagner stepped up with a commitment of $15M, and the planning process for the building that we are in began. Over time we realized that we needed more than the basement and three floors, so the University of Louisville stepped up, as did Senator Mitch McConnell, to make sure that we could have this incredible facility that we are celebrating here 4

5 tonight. The growth of the CII has been the result of the efforts of many Laman, Hank Wagner and the leadership at Jewish and St. Mary s Healthcare, the Gheens Foundation, Kosair and the Kosair Charities, and Senator McConnell. Tonight we add another foundation to that list of generous givers. I m pleased to announce that the Mansbach Foundation, based in Ashland, is donating a million to provide support for a new CII Investigator in regenerative medicine. (APPLAUSE) 5

6 [Ask Gray, Stu Williams and John Woods, representing the Mansbach Foundation to come forward.] [Ask John to say a words.] Thank you, John. I can t tell you how much this means to us and the impact it will have on our efforts to prevent and find cures for heart disease. It is important to note that the gift comes from a Foundation in Ashland, so you can see the impact of the work of the CII is being recognized across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. After all, heart disease is not only the number one killer nationally, but we in Kentucky have a 6

7 higher instance of heart disease than other states. I have already mentioned Senator McConnell. As I noted, the Senator understood from the beginning the importance of the work that takes place here, and we want to recognize him for his support of the CII. As I have done on many, many occasions most recently when the Senator arranged for General Petraeus to visit with us on campus I say we are proud of Senator McConnell as a graduate of the University of Louisville. The Senator fully understands the importance of education and higher education in building a better community and a better state. No 7

8 university can have a better friend than Senator Mitch McConnell. 8