“Grandfather of ALSA” Lawrence R. Barnett To Receive Honors

By Gary Wosk, ALSA Staff Writer

Lawrence R. Barnett, the founding chairman of The ALS Association (ALSA), was honored November 4 for his pioneering leadership and generosity during more than three decades of commitment to finding a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Known as the “Grandfather of The ALS Association,” Barnett is credited with spearheading the move to establish ALSA in 1985 and his keen guidance in shepherding the fledgling ALSA into national prominence. In the process, he set the bar higher for the next generation of ALSA leaders.

Barnett received the “Commitment to a Cure Award” from ALSA’s Greater Los Angeles Chapter and a special recognition by the ALSA National Board of Trustees. The ceremonies took place at the Marriott Marina del Rey in Los Angeles.

Barnett ascended the corporate ladder several decades ago, and to this day, the one constant in the life of the Rancho Mirage resident – besides the more than 50-year marriage to his wife Isabel, whom he met when she starred in the London production of “Oklahoma” – has been his strong commitment to helping others in need. This devotion has been renewed each time he meets someone with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly referred as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.

The personality trait that speaks volumes about Barnett is this: he completes everything he starts, and that means finding a cure for ALS. 

“I’ve always felt like I needed to help humanity as much as I can. And we are fortunate enough to give back to the community and make a difference,” said Barnett, the former president of Music Corporation of America (MCA), Movie Corporation of America and General Artists Corporation. “Even as a child, I wanted to help others.”

“Larry is a fantastic human being,” said ALSA President and CEO Gary Leo. “He has given so much of himself to this organization. “His vision during the formative years of ALSA was a key factor in our emergence as the leading organization in the fight against ALS, and his continued involvement is an inspiration to all.”

Barnett first became involved in the fight against ALS in 1978 when the wife of a close friend developed the disease. His friend asked the experienced fundraiser to help increase public awareness of ALS and support research, and ever since then Barnett has made it his personal mission. 

On the cusp bud of becoming ALSA in 1985 after the ALS Society of America and the National ALS Foundation merged, Barnett wrote: “I am confident that the formation of the new association will have direct and positive impact for ALS patients and their families as well as the medical and scientific worlds.” He went on to conclude: “This merger is our pathway to success, to the eradication of this devastating disease. I speak for myself and all of those involved with this great cause when I say that we look forward, with great optimism, to taking hold of the opportunities ahead of us…”

“Whether it has been financial support for funding vital research projects or the giving of his own time, energy and immense talents, Larry has always been there for ALSA and for people with ALS,” said ALSA Board of Trustees Chairman Allen Finkelstein. “It is these contributions that he continues to make that have propelled this organization to greater heights. There has been no limit to his generosity and we are grateful.” 

“The chapter has a tradition of giving the award to a leader in Los Angeles who has made a commitment to research and finding a cure for ALS,” said Kathleen Rasmussen, the vice chair of the ALSA Greater Los Angeles Chapter Board of Directors.  “No one deserves to receive the ‘Commitment to a Cure Award’ more than Larry. In the past when our national organization has not been in a position to fund a particular research project, he would stand up at the end of the meeting and offer to pay for it on his own. That is a step beyond and that is why we feel he deserves the award.”

“The chapter shares ALSA’s desire to find a treatment and a cure. We demonstrate this by contributing funds to the research program and by recognizing those who make an outstanding contribution in pursuit of treatments and a cure,” said ALSA Greater Los Angeles Chapter Executive Director Fred Fisher. “This year the chapter will recognize Larry for his commitment to a cure.”

Lawrence and Isabel Barnett

Barnett’s generosity to ALSA over the years has included his personal underwriting of numerous research grants, which have been awarded to some of the world’s leading ALS scientists in their quest for discovering improved treatments and a cure for people with ALS.  The first ALSA post doctoral fellowship was funded in 2003 by Lawrence and Isabel Barnett and was called the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Post-Doctoral Fellowship.

One research project he helped fund eventually isolated the gene that causes some forms of ALS. When he received news of the discovery, Barnett was elated. “That news brought us a step closer to breaking through and finding a cause and a cure for the disease,” said Barnett.  

ALSA has previously honored Barnett. He was presented with the Donald W. Mulder Award for Leadership, Dedication and Achievement in 1993, and was the first recipient of the Jacob Javits Lifetime Achievement Award two years later. Barnett has served on the national Board’s Research, Board Operations and Development committees.

In the late1980s, Barnett decided to take care of some unfinished business that was interrupted by his pursuit of a career in entertainment in the 1930s: he went back to Ohio State University to finish his BA degree in business at the age of 75. He would then go on to earn a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree in 1995.

In addition to fighting ALS, Barnett, an arts aficionado and violinist who was raised in Orrville, Ohio, actively supports his alma mater Ohio State University where he established two funds that support the Arts Policy and Administration Program in the University’s College of the Arts.

Barnett also helped one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in the country, Hillside Hospital in New York City, and supported the Adoption Society of Westchester in White Plains, New York.

“I wanted to give away some of the successes I’ve had in life,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be able to look back at my life and say that I’ve done something for other people, that my life wasn’t a selfish line.”

The Barnetts have six children, 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. “Our family is our greatest accomplishments and the thing we are most proud of,” said Isabel. “We have a blessed life.”