NEWS + NOTES friends Chairs of Distinction The Steven C. Gordon Family Foundation has pledged a gift to the Department of Neurology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to establish the Steven C. Gordon Family Chair in Parkinson’s Disease Research. The Gordon family graciously made the donation in Photo: Courtesy of UCLA memory of Steven Gordon’s father, Health Sciences Development Benjamin Gordon, who was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau, professor in the Movement Disorders Program in the Department of Neurology, has been selected as the inaugural chair holder. The department celebrated the Gordon family’s gift and Dr. Portera-Cailliau’s appointment on May 19, 2014, with both Mr. Gordon and Dr. Portera- Cailliau in attendance, along with their family and friends. This important philanthropic contribution will provide long-term teaching and research support for distinguished faculty in the Department of Neurology. (From left) UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, Dr. John C. Mazziotta (RES ’81, FEL ’83), chairman of the UCLA Department of Neurology, Steven Gordon and Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau. Photo: Todd Cheney/UCLA Photography In Memoriam numerous UCLA programs. Most recently, she donated $500,000 to establish Paula’s PetPal Place within the UCLA People-Animal Connection Program. The new service will allow patients who are hospitalized for extended periods of time to reunite with their own family pets in a specially designated exterior space at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. Meehan, founder of Redken Laboratories, used her success to the benefit of people and animals. Paula Kent Meehan Photo: Bill Knapp A thousand mourners gathered on July 5, 2014, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, to pay their respects to Paula Kent Meehan, who passed away on June 23, 2014. A dedicated philanthropist, Meehan was a generous contributor to 50 U MAGAZINE Elizabeth Smagala Tate passed away on June 8, 2014, at the age of 38, after a 13-month battle with breast cancer. She attended the UCLA School of Law and met her husband Phil Tate during her time at UCLA. After graduating, she worked for two members of Congress and California Gov. Gray Davis. Most recently, she was in-house counsel at Kilroy Realty Corporation. Smagala Tate grew close to her care team at UCLA Breast Center, Santa Monica, during her treatment, and the family generously requested gifts in her memory to support the center. On April 8, 2014, Robyn Faye Weinstein passed away at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The daughter of Susan Pondfield (William Mentlik) and the late Dr. Mark Weinstein, she also is survived by siblings Dr. Stacey Weinstein, in residency at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Carly Mentlik and Jacob Mentlik. Robyn Weinstein’s family created the Robyn Faye Weinstein Memorial Fund for Liver Transplantation as a lasting tribute to her life and to her unending desire to help others. Contributions of family and friends will help other liver-transplantation patients have a bright and productive future.