About the Event
Sunday August 25, 2024, at Clovernook Country Club; 2035 Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45239. Happy hour beginning at 5:30 p.m.; multi-course dinner with wine pairings beginning at 6:30 p.m. Dinner $250/plate with net proceeds going to fund the mission of the Cincinnati Cancer Foundation, Inc.
Event Theme
This first-of-its-kind, signature dinner event pays tribute to the unique and inspiring friendship between basketball Hall of Famer Jack Twyman and his teammate Maurice “Mo” Stokes. Following Maurice’s catastrophic brain injury resulting in complete paralysis, Jack became a tireless advocate for his stricken teammate. That a white man would step up and take care of a black man in 1958 taught our world an extremely important lesson in love, respect, and dignity that resonates to this day.
Jack became Maurice’s legal guardian so he could represent him and handle the financial affairs related to his care. At the time, professional basketball players made on average $15K-$25K a year and Maurice’s medical bills were more than $100K annually. Workmen’s compensation and collective bargaining agreements were not a “thing.” Mo needed an advocate, and professional basketball players to this day benefit from Jack’s advocacy efforts in the form of better healthcare and financial protection against catastrophic injury.
Jack’s extraordinary acts of courage and empathy was featured in the movie “Maurie” but sadly, this amazing story is little known by a new generation of Americans and is not even particularly well known in Cincinnati. This, despite the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) “Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award” which is given each year to the NBA player that best exemplifies, as determined by his peers, selfless play and commitment and dedication to his team. Past winners of this award include Shane Battier, Tim Duncan and Vince Carter.
This story of heroism and friendship can become a “story for our times” and this dinner offers the perfect platform to tell this inspiring story. Just as Jack tirelessly raised money through charitable events to provide for Maurice’s care, the net proceeds of this event will benefit Cincinnati Cancer Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds the operations of Cincinnati Cancer Advisors (CCA), an independent oncology practice that provides oncology consultation, precision oncology, and financial navigation services to more than 600 Greater Cincinnati cancer patients each year.
In a somewhat fitting twist, this new effort is a joint project between lifelong friends John “Jay” Twyman (Jack’s son) and Dr. William “Bill” Barrett, who founded CCA in 2018. CCA has now provided platinum-level consultative oncology to more than 1,400 cancer patients over the last four years, all without charge to the patient, or billings to the patient’s insurance company.
Members of the Twyman family will be on hand to speak more about their family’s poignant relationship with “Mo,” even sharing examples of the artworks and gifts that he brought to the family during their Sunday dinners together until Mo’s passing in April 1970.
John Barrett, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Western & Southern Financial Group, will also give his unique perspective on the story, having served with Jack Twyman as a fellow member of the Western & Southern Board of Directors, among other professional and personal associations. The evening is guaranteed to inspire attendees and encourage them to act on behalf of their fellow man.