Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Sponsors Event to Support Research on Aging

Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Sponsors Event to Support Research on Aging

Dr. William Dignam and Hollywood Legends Cyd Charisse Martin and Tony Martin Honored as 'Icons' of Successful Aging

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The UCLA Center on Aging raised nearly $360,000 during its ninth Annual ICON Award event. Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 4, more than 400 people gathered to honor this year's ICON Award recipients, Dr. William Dignam, long time faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Hollywood legends Cyd Charisse Martin and Tony Martin.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050608/DCW021 )

"Tonight's ICON Award marks the UCLA Center on Aging's ninth year in applauding individuals who have continued to make outstanding contributions to society throughout their lives," said Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging. "This year's honorees fulfill the promise for this evening -- to show us the results of 'living better longer' -- Bill Dignam representing the best in medical education, and Cyd Charisse Martin and Tony Martin as the finest in musical entertainment."

Dr. Dignam has been on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine before the first class of medical students was admitted. A professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Dignam is a role model to hundreds of medical students and physicians. He has participated in more than 30,000 births and trained dozens of leading physicians in his field, many of whom came to UCLA specifically to learn from him. He has served on numerous boards and committees, and has taught and conducted research on three continents. Today, at age 85, he is active as a teacher and serves on various committees that shape medical education at UCLA.

Both Cyd Charisse Martin and Tony Martin are world renowned entertainers who personify elegance and sophistication. Trained in ballet since the age of eight, Cyd Charisse Martin is best known for her dance roles opposite Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in such popular Hollywood musicals as The Band Wagon, Brigadoon, It's Always Fair Weather, and Silk Stockings. After the Hollywood musical passed from popularity, she continued to work abroad through the 1960s and '70s, and later introduced a nightclub act with her husband, Tony Martin. In 2000, she received the Nijinsky Award from Princess Caroline of Monaco for her lifelong contributions to dance.

Tony Martin is known for his work as an actor and musician, but primarily as a vocalist. He landed his first job as a vocalist on George Burns and Gracie Allen's radio show, and later starred in several musicals as well as made a number of hit records on the Decca label. But it wasn't until the late 1940s when he went on to great success in the recording industry, earning 17 gold records. He also made 25 films, many of them musicals. He received the "Ella" Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992 and remains an active entertainer, still charming audiences with his famous voice and debonair presence.

Former ICON recipients include Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Robert Ahmanson, Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Norman Corwin, Hugh Downs, Nanette Fabray MacDougall, Art Linkletter, David Haft, George Page, Pascal, Dr. S. Jerome Tamkin, and John Wooden.

In addition to dinner and dancing, the evening's program included a special performance by Tony Martin, who sang some of his favorites including "There's No Tomorrow" (O Sole Mio), "Begin the Beguine," and "You Stepped Out of a Dream." Renowned philanthropists and former ICONs Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer as well as television and radio personality Art Linkletter were the program presenters.

The Annual ICON Award was established as the Center's key fund-raising event to recognize older adults who continue to make outstanding contributions to society and serve as icons for healthy and active living. Philanthropist Patricia Dunn Grey, who serves on the board of directors for the UCLA Center on Aging, chaired the ICON event for the third year. The event was sponsored by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics and produced by EventsbyOne.

Founded in 1991, the UCLA Center on Aging is a non-profit organization that aims to enhance and extend productive and healthy life through research and education on aging. The renowned Center brings geriatrics and gerontology to the forefront of public awareness and support. The UCLA Center on Aging is entirely supported by private and corporate donations. For more information about the event or to learn about additional ways to support the Center, please contact Helen Berman, executive administrator at (310) 794-0676.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050608/DCW021 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: UCLA Center on Aging

CONTACT: Linda O'Hanlon of Straightline Communications, +1-818-386-1916 or Rachel Champeau of the UCLA Center on Aging, +1-310-794-2270

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