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The 2025 inductees of the Society of the Double Helix.
Image by Bryan Clifton
UAMS Honors New Members of the Society of the Double Helix
| The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) celebrated the 2025 inductees to the Society of the Double Helix during an April 10 ceremony held at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum in Little Rock. Sixty new members were welcomed into the distinguished group.
The Society of the Double Helix was established by the UAMS Foundation Fund Board, now known as the UAMS Board of Advisors, in 1998 as a way for the university to recognize the philanthropy of individuals, foundations, corporations and organizations that have contributed $100,000 or more to the institution since its founding in 1879.
Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, welcomed inductees such as Larry Mahoney.Bryan Clifton
To date, members of the Society of the Double Helix have collectively invested nearly $734 million in the work at UAMS.
Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health, was on hand to thank new society members for their support of UAMS.
“Without your partnership, support or philanthropy, UAMS would not have the resources to provide exceptional patient care, fund pioneering research or train the next generation of health professionals,” said Patterson. “Each of us has our own motivations for why we give, but all of those roads lead back to UAMS. That’s the choice that you’ve made. And, with the help of everyone here tonight, that’s the impact that you will continue to make.”
Members of the Society of the Double Helix have revolutionized the environment at UAMS through achievements realized with their support. They have helped to fund student scholarships, faculty and research endowments, state-of-the-art equipment purchases and construction of modern facilities and centers of excellence.
Lester Matlock, chair of the UAMS Board of Advisors, addressed guests at the event.Bryan Clifton
“We should always be mindful when we are going about our lives because other people are always watching. You never know when your good deeds are not only being watched but are also providing encouragement and hope to others,” said Lester Matlock, chair of the UAMS Board of Advisors. “Your generous gifts of your time and resources to UAMS do not go unnoticed.”
The double helix, adopted by the worldwide scientific community as a symbol of the quest for knowledge through scientific research, is a symbol for a distinguished group whose individual contributions have combined to advance the central mission of UAMS. During the ceremony, Patterson presented new members with a double helix statue to mark their entry into the society.
The 2025 Society of the Double Helix inductees include:
Alderson Family Foundation, El Dorado, Arkansas
John and Jennifer Allison, Little Rock
American Association for Cancer Research, Philadelphia
Lee Archer, M.D., and Nancy Archer, Little Rock
Omar Atiq, M.D., and Mehreen Atiq, Little Rock
Celia B. Barnhard, Roland, Arkansas
Phyllis and Michael Barrier, Little Rock
Bernice Chapin Trust (deceased)
Ralph Broadwater Jr., M.D., and Anne Jansen Broadwater, Little Rock
Libby and Lewis Bunch, Little Rock
Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Children’s Tumor Foundation, Little Rock
Richard B. Clark, M.D. (deceased)
Graham Cody, M.D., and Renee Lauber, Madison, Wisconsin
Council for Regional Health Education, Texarkana, Arkansas
Crews & Associates Inc., Little Rock
Dialysis Clinic Inc., Nashville, Tennessee
Rhonda Martin Dick, M.D., and Ken Dick, MBA, Little Rock
Ken Duke and Michelle Duke, Stuart, Florida
Eli Lilly and Company Foundation Inc., Andover, Massachusetts
Enthusiastic UAMS Donor, Little Rock
Sam and Susan Fiori, Fort Smith, Arkansas
Frank Threlkeld Trust (deceased)
James and Barbara Freeman, Texarkana, Arkansas
Charlotte Gadberry and James F. Gadberry, Little Rock
Jane Stewart Gillespie, Little Rock
Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, M.D., and Brenda Williams Granger, Centennial, Colorado
Gerard Halpern (deceased)
James and Helen Halsey, Hot Springs, Arkansas
The Michelle and Stan Hastings Family, Little Rock
The Jeanne V. Robbins Charitable Trust (deceased)
John W. Joyce, M.D., and Lou B. Joyce, Little Rock
Jason LaFrance and Cassandra LaFrance, Little Rock
Stephen LaFrance Jr. and Wendy LaFrance, Little Rock
Susan Smith Lamb, Little Rock
Tim Langford, M.D., and Terri Langford, Little Rock
Norma Jean Long and Marion Cobb, Memphis, Tennessee
Larry and Sandy Mahoney, Bentonville, Arkansas
George and Debbie Makris Jr., Little Rock
Scott McGeorge, White Hall, Arkansas
Ann McKenzie and James Marshall McKenzie, M.D. — Bozie Foundation, Bentonville, Arkansas
Jack and Cheryl Netherton, Maysville, Arkansas
Colette Nozicka (deceased)
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Raritan, New Jersey
Harold Parks (deceased)
PhRMA Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Tommy Allen Polk, M.D., and Mamie Polk, Spring, Texas
Nancy J. Rusch, Ph.D., Bigelow, Arkansas
Andrea Cody Russell, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Frances Russell (deceased)
Cathy Cole Seilhan and Denton Seilhan, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Loren (Cody) and Mark Shaiken, Denver
Larry D. Stanley (deceased)
David T. Sward, M.D., and Carol A. Sward, Mountain Home, Arkansas
Town Branch Foundation, Bentonville, Arkansas
Don S. Wilson, DVM, and Melissa D. Wilson, Marathon, Florida
Joe Clay and Pamela Ann Young, Jonesboro, Arkansas
“In giving to UAMS, I have found that no two people share the same story, and these unique motivations are exemplified by where each member of this group directs his or her philanthropic support, thus your generosity has touched every aspect of our institution,” said John Erck, vice chancellor for the Division of Institutional Advancement. “You should take pride in what we have accomplished together. I hope you will see the potential realized with each gift you’ve made and how it yields a lasting legacy benefiting generations.”