1998 Rell Sunn Award Winner Mr. Bill Otterson

UCSD Cancer Center Foundation Announces Recipient of Inaugural "Rell Sunn - Queen of Makaha Award"

SAN DIEGO, August 6, 1998 - The UCSD Cancer Center Foundation announced that Mr. Bill Otterson has been awarded the inaugural Rell Sunn - Queen of Makaha Award in recognition of Mr. Otterson's commitment to battling cancer and serving the community. The Award is presented by the Board of Authority of the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation's Luau & Longboard Invitational, an annual event that benefits cancer treatment and research. The Award will be formally presented to Mr. Otterson at the 1998 Luau & Longboard Invitational at Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Sunday, August 16th.

The criteria for the Award are as follows:

"The Rell Sunn- Queen of Makaha Award is a perpetual trophy to honor Rell Sunn. It will be given each year to the person who best displays the qualities shared by Rell and the UCSD Cancer Center Luau and Longboard Invitational- battling cancer combined with unselfishness, compassion and a dedication to helping others that embodies the true aloha spirit." In response to being notified of the Award, Mr. Otterson stated, "I am delighted to receive this Award, as I believe that all cancer patients should realize a debt to help and support other, new cancer patients."

(Continued) Background On Mr. Otterson

Bill Otterson is a cancer survivor who, at the time of his original diagnosis, was given 18 months to live. That was twenty years ago. Since then Bill has been a tireless, selfless, and devoted advocate for cancer patients. He is a co-founder of the National Association of Cancer Patients (NACP) and has lobbied for FDA reform to get new cancer drugs to patients faster. In 1998 Mr. Otterson was appointed to the Governor's Council on Cancer Research and he was past president of the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation, where he remains an active member of the board. Bill has approached his own cancer recovery with a hopeful and positive attitude and knows the benefit of passing along this type of encouragement to other cancer patients. To this end he has been a dedicated supporter, mentor and friend to numerous cancer sufferers both personally and via the Internet. Upon reaching out to Mr. Otterson, these same patients are encouraged to volunteer their services to help the general cause of cancer recovery/cancer research/drug development, as well as to help themselves by helping others.

Apart from these accomplishments, Bill is also a nationally recognized entrepreneur, and a local community and business leader who serves on the Southwestern Low Level Radioactive Waste Commission, and is a member of the Governor's Council on Biotechnology. This 64-year young entrepreneur, who has a bachelor's degree in engineering and a master's in business administration from Stanford University, resides in La Jolla with his wife, Anne.

The UCSD Cancer Center Foundation's Fifth Annual LUAU & LONGBOARD INVITATIONAL is a luau and team surfing event benefiting the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation. Chief executives, Nobel Laureates, celebrities, and surfing legends will surf for trophies and bragging rights to raise contributions for cancer research. The longboard surfing event will begin at 7:00 a.m. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, followed by an Hawaiian-style luau with traditional island entertainment overlooking the beach from 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m. Surfing legends will include Micky Munoz, Mike Doyle, Skip Frye, LJ Richards, Shaun Tomson and Fred Hemmings. The 1997 event raised approximately $100,000 for the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation.

Additional information regarding sponsorship opportunities, team entries, tickets, and event activities may be obtained by calling the UCSD Cancer Center Foundation at (619) 822-0023 or visiting their web site at http://luau.ucsd.edu.

The UCSD Cancer Center Foundation 1998 Luau & Longboard Invitational is dedicated to the memory of surfing legend Rell Sunn - The Queen of Makaha - who rode the longboard with a classic style and who's life represented the true Aloha spirit. Rell, a UCSD Cancer Center patient, passed away in January 1998 after living with cancer for nearly 15 years.

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