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HOUSTON ― The 22nd annual A
Conversation With a Living Legend® , in Dallas,
benefiting
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center,
showcases Sir Richard
Branson, founder of Virgin Group,
in an interview with broadcast journalist Miles O’Brien.
Supported by Dallas-Fort Worth area business and community
leaders, the luncheon, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Jan. 4 at the
Hilton Anatole, benefits research and patient care
initiatives at
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center.
Andrews Distributing Company and AT&T are
this year’s event underwriters. Co-chairs are Stephanie and
Hunter Hunt. Ana and Don Carty are honorary chairs.
One of the world's most recognized and
respected brands, Virgin encompasses air and rail travel,
leisure and hospitality, telecommunications, media, health
and wellness, space tourism and clean energy through more
than 400 branded companies in 29 countries with branded
revenues of
$21 billion. The Virgin family of airlines includes Virgin
America, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia and Virgin Blue.
Branson founded Virgin at age 20 as a mail
order record retailer and later expanded it into a record
shop and recording studio. Virgin Music became one of the
top six record companies in the world.
In 1986, Branson crossed the Atlantic Ocean
in a boat in the fastest recorded time ever. The next year
his Virgin Atlantic Flyer was the first hot air balloon to
cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Branson realized his dream of opening the
world’s first commercial space tourism business with the
launch of Virgin Galactic, designed to take passengers to
suborbital space.
In 1999, Branson was knighted for “services
to entrepreneurship.”
In 2004, he launched Virgin Unite to tackle
tough challenges facing the world.
In
2007, he joined Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel and Desmond
Tutu to form The Elders, a group that seeks sustainable
solutions to global humanitarian issues. In 2010, he
launched the Carbon War Room to advance climate change
efforts. He recently formed Ocean Elders with Ted Turner and
others
to promote ocean conservation, protect the ocean’s habitat
and wildlife and preserve its ecosystems and species
biodiversity.
Branson is the author of “Losing My
Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun and Made a Fortune
Doing Business My Way,” (Crown Business, 1998) “Screw It,
Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life” (Virgin Books, 2006) and
“Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global
Entrepreneur” (Virgin Books, 2008). His latest book is
“Screw Business as Usual” (Portfolio/Penguin Group USA,
December 2011).
Miles O'Brien is a 30-year broadcast news
veteran whose career reflects a lifelong passion for
aviation, space, science and technology. Based in
Washington, D.C., O'Brien is science correspondent for “PBS
NewsHour.” He has produced several documentaries for PBS
programs “Frontline” and “Blueprint America.” He is chief
correspondent for the National Science Foundation series
“Science Nation” and the Discovery Science Channel series
“Innovation Nation.” O'Brien also is managing editor and a
founder of a series of shuttle launch webcasts hosted at
www.SpaceflightNow.com.
He worked as a CNN correspondent, anchor and
producer based in Atlanta and New York for more than 16
years. In February 2003, he led the network’s coverage of
the Space Shuttle Columbia loss.
A third generation general aviation pilot,
O’Brien is the owner of a small single-engine airplane and
frequently flies himself to and from assignments.
Since its inception in 1990, A Conversation
With a Living Legend in Dallas has raised more than $10.5
million. With every $1 million
the event raises, MD Anderson creates a new endowed
Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Chair for Cancer Research
at MD Anderson,
enhancing the institution’s ability to recruit and retain
new faculty of the highest caliber, advance its
research and patient care initiatives and train future
generations of physicians and scientists
For more information, call 866-262-9029 or
email
events@mdanderson.org .
About MD Anderson
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center
in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected
centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education
and prevention. MD Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive
cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute.
For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD
Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “Best
Hospitals,” a survey published annually in
U.S. News & World Report.
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