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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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Part:         Session:         Page of 1143

Lasker:

Oh, no, no. These were all really my ideas, and he would go along with them if he felt well, but he really didn't want anything that caused too much agitation or excitement because he really wasn't terribly well. And he didn't want me to be involved in too many telephone calls and in too many meetings.

Albert finally agreed to go along with this offer of $25,000 and actually wrote the by-laws which were finally accepted by the Arthritis Foundation. I remember the day at Sands Point, where we were living in Raymond Loewy's house, when Floyd Odlum, then very crippled with arthritis himself, came with Traeger and Freyberg and accepted our offer and said he would try to raise the additional $125,000. Of course, he did raise the money. He became the President of the Foundation and remained so until recently, when he became Chairman of the Board, with General George C. Kenny , formerly of the Air Force, who is now the paid President.

This organization raised about a million dollars during the first year and, as of 1954, is raising about two million dollars. (Jane, please put in how much it is raising currently) It has not raised a tremendous lot of money but it has an influence in the field.

Q:

But they have had the right concept of publicity, haven't they?

Lasker:

Well, they didn't have terribly skilled people working on it. Kenny is a wonderful man but not a great propagandist in the field of health, and they didn't have any real geniuses as propagandists.





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