(CHICAGO, IL) — Lebanese-American Helen Shaker, the last surviving founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has died at the age of 90.
Shaker was among a group of five Chicago-area couples who worked with entertainer Danny Thomas in the 1950s to lay the groundwork for the Memphis, Tenn.-based pediatric hospital.
Shaker and her husband Joseph remained close friends with Thomas, who lived in Chicago for a short period before moving to Los Angeles.
Thomas was a struggling Detroit comedian who promised himself that if he were successful, he would build a shrine to St. Jude, who he once appealed to when debating whether he should pursue a career in show business.
When Thomas’ career took off and he approached Chicago’s archbishop Samuel Stritch about building the shrine, Stritch said there were too many and recommended a children’s hospital instead.
That’s when Thomas and a group of Lebanese-Americans in Chicago began meeting to launch the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), the official fundraising arm of St. Jude, in 1957.
Richard Shadyac Jr., the CEO of ALSAC, said the Shaker family donated “significant sums” to the hospital.
“They were some of the most generous people in lending not only their resources but also their time and talent,” he said.
Shaker is survived by three sons, Joseph, Anthony and John; a daughter, Catherine Shaker Breit; 13 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.