Brooklyn’s Red Hook waterfront was the scene of the 2018 Best of Brooklyn on May 16, honoring Bernard ’62 and Ethel Garil. More than 200 guests filled the historic Liberty Warehouse at the Brooklyn College Foundation’s annual fundraising gala to honor the longtime supporters of the college.

The couple was welcomed by Brooklyn College Foundation chair Evan Silverstein ’76, who praised them for their longstanding support and announced that the event had already raised $325,000, money that will allow Brooklyn College to continue to provide “an excellent and transformative education to students from all backgrounds.”

Also in attendance were 11 former students who had gone through the internships in cancer research that the Garils created after their daughter, Stacey, died of breast cancer in 1999 at age 28 and their son, Michael, after battling leukemia and the aftereffects of his treatments, died at age 39 in 2006. The summer internships, at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, bring talented Brooklyn College students interested in medical research into world-class laboratories.

“They have created this legacy in the memory of their children where so many students are going to have the experience that I had,” said 2017 Garil intern Jessica Andersen in a video tribute. “And none of us are going to forget them or their children.”

“The interns represent what Brooklyn College is all about,” Bernard Garil told the gathering. “Most are first- or second-generation Americans. Their families have come from all over the world, including Israel, Russia, China, India, Turkey, and the Dominican Republic. They are children of many faiths, including Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Hindus. Most are among the first generation in their families to attend college. Upon graduation they have gone on to study medicine at some of the best medical schools in the country. Those who have completed their formal education are now at some very prestigious hospitals. Most importantly, they are bright young men and women who want to make a difference, and I’m sure that they will succeed in doing that.

“Obviously, this is a program that means a great deal to Ethel and me,” he concluded, before announcing that the couple is pledging an additional $250,000 to continue the program into the future.

A special guest, Dr. Stephen Sallan from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, praised the Garils for their long commitment to scientific research. Sallan, who oversees and mentors Brooklyn College students in the program, first treated Michael Garil when he was 14 years old and losing his fight against leukemia. Sallan, a pioneer in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, used a revolutionary type of bone-marrow transplant to cure him. But over the next 25 years Michael suffered from the aftereffects of his treatments and shared his insights with Sallan, who modified the protocols for leukemia patients, resulting in leukemia survivors having a better chance at living long, full lives. The Garils are longtime supporters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where Bernie has served on the board of directors for more than 40 years, and fellow LLS board members were on hand in tribute to the couple’s outstanding support.

The program also highlighted the work that Brooklyn College faculty and students are doing in the field of cancer research. As President Anderson explained, “Nearly twenty years ago, Ethel and Bernie proposed that Brooklyn College develop a serious research priority on cancer. They had the foresight to see the importance of this area of scholarly inquiry—and the contributions the college could make against a disease that is so prevalent and deadly.”

One of the more than two dozen faculty members working in this area, Associate Professor of Chemistry Maria Contel, was recently awarded a $1.57 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for her work on biodegradable nanocarriers and antibodies as targeting delivery vehicles for cancer metallodrugs, part of which will be performed in collaboration with the CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her colleague in the Biology Department, Associate Professor Anjana Saxena, is publishing interesting work on how bacteria in the gut affects the growth of certain types of pancreatic cancer. Other departments, including Health and Nutrition Sciences, Psychology, and Computer and Information Science, have faculty working in cancer research. Last year, nine students were invited to participate in the inaugural class of the Columbia University School of Professional Studies’ Center for Systems Therapeutics (CaST) Scholars Program, where each student received a solid foundation in how systems biology is transforming cancer research and precision medicine.

Praising the Garils for their “enduring commitment” to support the cancer research internship they established in their childrens’ names, President Anderson concluded by asking the many students and faculty involved in cancer research to stand for a well-deserved round of applause.

The event was emceed by Jeffrey Sigler ’92, M.S.Ed. ’95, the director of enrollment management at Medgar Evers College and past president of the Brooklyn College Alumni Association, and was co-chaired by Brooklyn College Foundation trustees Don Kramer ’58, Leonard Kurz, and Evan Silverstein ’76.