Rainbolt presents $340,000 gift to cancer research

OKLAHOMA CITY, December 11, 2009 – To benefit cancer research, BancFirst Corp. chairman H.E. “Gene” Rainbolt this week presented checks totaling $340,000 to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and the OU Cancer Institute.

The funds represented the proceeds of a dinner and private benefit concert by country music legend Willie Nelson that Rainbolt hosted in celebration of being 80 years old. Rainbolt underwrote the entire event and, in lieu of birthday gifts, asked guests to make donations to cancer research at OUCI and OMRF. More than 600 turned out for the dinner and concert, which was held at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club on Sept. 18.

“Cancer touches many families just as insidiously as it has mine,” said Rainbolt. “Medical research holds the key to understanding this disease and finding ways to stop it.”

In 2007, the Rainbolt family established the Jeannine Tuttle Rainbolt Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at OMRF in memory of his wife, who lost her five-year battle with cancer earlier that year.

At OU, the family endowed the Rainbolt Family Chair in Cancer, now held by OUCI director Robert Mannel, M.D.

“My family and I have great fondness for both OUCI and OMRF, and we hope that our gifts will make a difference to the future of cancer research,” Rainbolt said.

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