Wright Family ASCO Foundation

Corinne Payne Wright Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Disease

Good Things Come in Small Packages

With every paycheck, Ron Salars makes a modest contribution to the Corinne Payne Wright Endowed Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease, optimistic that someday it will help add up to a medical breakthrough.

He understands firsthand the struggles faced by those with neurological diseases – his daughter has Down syndrome. “Scientists are just a matter of dollars away from finding critical information about Alzheimer’s,” he says. “What they learn from that research can make an impact on other neurological diseases as well. So, if it takes $1,000 to get there, does it matter that one person gave $1,000 or that a thousand gave $1?”

Salars, a mechanic for ASCO Equipment Co. in Odessa, made his first contribution to the endowment in September 2005 – a memorial to Mrs. Wright who battled Alzheimer’s -- and pledged to do so as long as he works for ASCO.

Paula Wright Key along with her father and two brothers (Bill, Brax and Steve Wright) established the endowment in August 2005. “Upon Mom’s death, many of our employees made donations. While they all were super meaningful for the entire family, Ron’s gift embodies all that we stand for as a family and a company,” she says.

“(Making a contribution to science) is something I’ve thought about for years, I just hadn’t researched it enough to find the right opportunity,” Salars says. “The Wright’s gift presented that opportunity, and Texas Tech has the history of being a great institution to support.”