CTCA Founder Selected for Horatio Alger Membership
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans inducted Richard J Stephenson, founder and chairman of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, and the Member Class of 2017 into membership March 30 – April 1. The induction was part of the Association’s 70th Horatio Alger Award Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The association is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education.
Stephenson, recognized for his philanthropic efforts, global business leadership and establishment of personalized cancer care, joins 10 other business and civic leaders from across North America in receiving this honor in 2017. The Horatio Alger Award is bestowed annually on admirable leaders who have succeeded despite facing adversity and who are committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their local communities.
Richard J Stephenson with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
Stephenson grew up in Sheridan, Ind., a small farming town of 1,200. His parents raised him along with his brother Michael to understand and follow a morally centered and principled way of life. Much of his childhood and early adulthood was devoted to caring for his brother, who faced many lifelong health challenges.
An entrepreneur from an early age, he helped his father with his work at a pharmacy and later took on various jobs around town – mowing lawns, collecting trash, distributing milk and delivering newspapers. His business acumen expanded in college as he created a handyman services-and-consulting company, hiring college friends as part-time employees. After graduating from Wabash College, he started his own merchant banking firm before receiving his juris doctor degree from Northwestern Law School.
When his mother, Mary, endured a lengthy battle with cancer before succumbing to the disease, he witnessed the failure of health-care providers to listen to her needs and put her care and concerns first. He noted, also, the lack of comprehensive, compassionate, innovative and integrated treatment options that took the whole person into account, and he vowed to change the face of cancer care in his mother’s memory.
Richard J Stephenson and his wife, Dr. Stacie Stephenson
In 1988, he opened his first Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospital and committed this new chapter in his life’s work to delivering cancer patients and their families what he coined the “Mother Standard” of care, the kind of care you would want for a loved one. Today, CTCA is a nationally recognized network of five regional medical centers providing personalized, patient-centered care throughout the United States.
Stephenson also founded and supports five charities in each of the regions where his hospitals are located. The Assistance in Healthcare Foundations provide financial support to families in need of relief from everyday stressful expenses back home such as rent, food and utilities. Additionally, in 1991, he created Gateway for Cancer Research, setting out on a quest to transform cancer research and care by empowering patients with integrative therapies and innovative treatment options. Twenty-five years, 3,000 patients, 140 clinical trials around the world and more than $70 million raised later, his personal quest has become transformative and a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with cancer.
Through its members, Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded them by the free-enterprise system. The organization awards scholarships to outstanding high school students who are committed to pursuing higher education and giving back to their communities. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $125 million to students in need. Scholarships are funded solely through the generosity of association members, Life Partners and friends.
