TO FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN LEONARD DECOF,

 

who passed away following a short illness on December 31, 2010.  Renowned locally, nationally and internationally as one of the top trial lawyers in the U.S., Leonard was also an accomplished athlete, pilot, and musician; but his lifelong passion was golf.  In work or play, he lived life to the fullest and took on each new challenge with gusto.

 

And so it was in 2000, when Leonard lost Adele, his wife of 50 years, to breast cancer and committed himself to improving cancer treatment for others.  He was determined to make the treatment process easier and more effective, and with no prior fundraising experience forged ahead with a plan to improve the prospects for struggling Rhode Island cancer programs. 

 

Under Leonard's stewardship, today the Adele R. Decof Foundation has raised and donated over 1.2 million dollars to two local hospital cancer programs.  Both have grown and flourished with this support, adding state-of-the-art medical equipment, additional staff and services, and expanding and improving treatment facilities to provide personalized, state-of-the-art care and treatment to patients in a setting close to home. 

 

Over the last 10 years, cancer rates in Rhode Island have continued to exceed national averages.  The increased demand for treatment and services has shown Leonard's vision to be prescient, his timing critical, and his impact profound.

 

So thank you, Leonard, for a legacy of compassion, determination and accomplishment; and for fulfilling your promise to make cancer care in Rhode Island better for everyone.  Your drive, wit and wisdom will be missed, but your achievements will live on, benefitting cancer patients every day.