WVU Today
Jean DeLynn wanted to be remembered as someone who cared about cancer research and higher education, and she gave back in many ways to support the WVU Cancer Institute.
Those who knew DeLynn can attest to her commitment to the cancer institute from the early days of the annual gala to the many gifts that support the research mission.
A longtime supporter of West Virginia University and WVU Cancer Institute, DeLynn died Jan. 18 at her home in Longboat Key, Fla.
The WVU Cancer Institute Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center is grateful for the late Jean and Laurence DeLynn, who established a lectureship series that bears their names. Because of their generosity, the cancer institute has attracted some of the most prominent cancer advocates and scientists to the WVU campus for the benefit of the university and Morgantown community.
“It is because of the generosity and longtime commitment from Laurence and Jean DeLynn that the cancer institute is as strong and vibrant as it is today,” said Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, director of WVU Cancer Institute. “Their gifts have expanded our ability to educate the next generation of oncologists vital to the health of the people of the state of West Virginia. In addition, their generosity provides opportunities for growth through the sponsorship of fellowships, lectureship and research investments like the endowed chair in oncology.”
The DeLynns have had a tremendous impact on the development and growth of the cancer center. Jean DeLynn helped organize the first statewide fundraising extravaganza to have the center built in Morgantown. In addition to the lectureship series, the couple established the Jean L. and Laurence S. DeLynn Chair of Oncology; the Laurence and Jean DeLynn Cancer Research Fellowship; and the Laurence and Jean DeLynn Professorship in Cancer.
They also provided the seed money to establish the Cancer Information Service, that grew into a thriving Cancer Prevention and Control unit, and the Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Program, the only program of its kind in West Virginia.
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