Running for Terry

That was a despicable and untruthful attack American Cancer Society representative Susanne D’Angelo mounted against the Terry Fox Run, the Sub 5 Track Club, race director Glendon Rand Jr. and myself, the founder of the Terry Fox Run back in 1982, which appeared in Our Readers Write on July 30.

I can’t imagine anything more vile than reading a bastardized version of Terry Fox’s “dream” as interpreted by American Cancer Society representatives who have proved they care nothing for Terry’s idealism or dignity, or for Terry himself for that matter, and merely wish to use his name further to gouge more money out of a completely volunteer effort.

D’Angelo deliberately distorts the issue when she charges that I have “made previous accusations that the money donated to the ACS does not have a local impact on cancer research. …” First, to my knowledge, I’ve never met D’Angelo and I’ve never written or said any such thing. The real issue, which I have condemned the ACS for over the years, concerns not allowing our run to comply with the simple wishes of the Terry Fox Foundation in Canada: A run, using the name Terry Fox, must see that all its proceeds go directly to cancer research. The ACS will give us no such guarantee, maintaining that the national offices must lop off a percentage for administrative, bureaucratic needs and then sums are returned to worthy agencies. It sickens me, therefore, to think that some of the money we raised at the Bangor run might have gone to help pay the salaries of people like D’Angelo and Dori Detherow, ACS reps with apparently little else to do but backstab honest, volunteer efforts to raise cancer research money. …

Also, D’Angelo boldly charges that I, alone, have “chosen to donate the money …” to various agencies in the state. I have neither sought nor wield any such power. Over the years I have made recommendations on this issue; however, every year the final determination on the beneficiary always had the approval of our sponsor and Sub 5 Track Club representatives. …

We shouldn’t crush the spirituality of the run — the celebration of Terry Fox’s indomitable spirit and idealism, and celebration of our own local heroes who came and ran with us, smiled and shared their courage, and ultimately died of cancer too. Heroes like the late Beverly Anderson, Bill Fox and Walt Luro. It is now as much to honor their memories, as well as Terry’s, that I am motivated to continue trying to bring Bangor its 12th annual Terry Fox Run. Ed Rice Brewer