THORNBURGHS AND UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ESTABLISH DISABILITY LECTURESHIP UTILIZING HENRY B. BETTS CASH AWARD
April 16, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariana V. Nork
(202) 457-0046

New $100,000 Endowment Will Fund Lectures on Disability Law and Policy

WASHINGTON, DC, - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is delighted to announce that Dick and Ginny Thornburgh, recipients of this year's Henry B. Betts Award, have committed their $50,000 cash award to the University of Pittsburgh to help fund the establishment of a lectureship in disability law and policy. The University, through the Chancellor's office, the School of Law and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, has agreed to match the Thornburgh's gift, creating a $100,000 endowment for the new program. "AAPD is excited that the Thornburghs have chosen to use their award money to create an ongoing opportunity for leading thinkers to share their vision for disability law and policy with students, professors and the general public," said Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD's President and CEO. "This is exactly the kind of lasting impact that AAPD hopes to achieve through the Henry B. Betts Award."

The Henry B. Betts Award, an annual cash award of $50,000, honors and supports the work of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the quality of life of people with disabilities. Dick and Ginny Thornburgh are longtime advocates for the rights of people with disabilities both in this country and internationally.

The Henry B. Betts Award was presented to Dick and Ginny by AAPD in concert with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago on March 4th at the AAPD Leadership Gala in Washington, DC. Also participating in the presentation was Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security.

During their remarks acknowledging the award, the Thornburghs took note of the fact that the School of Law and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences had earlier this year jointly created the very first program in the nation to grant a Masters of Studies in Law-Disability Law Concentration (MSL-Disability Law) and that they wanted the $50,000 cash award to be used to help fund a series of lectures on disability law and policy in connection with the two schools' programs. Their commitment was subsequently matched by the University, bringing the endowment to a total of $100,000.

"Dick and Ginny Thornburgh are two of Pitt's best friends," said Mark A. Nordenberg, Pitt's chancellor. "Dick is one of our most distinguished graduates and a member of our Board of Trustees, and the Dick Thornburgh Archival Collection is a part of our University Library System. We are grateful to the Thornburghs and to AAPD for creating this new opportunity. The Thornburgh Family Lecture Series in Disability Law and Policy builds on existing strengths in our School of Law and School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and is going to be an initiative of real impact."

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) administers the Henry B. Betts Award, which was created in 1989 by the Prince Charitable Trusts and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in honor of Henry B. Betts, M.D., a pioneer in the field of rehabilitation medicine. Generous funding for the Henry B. Betts Award is provided to AAPD by the Prince Charitable Trusts.

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