UCLA Millennium Ball 2006 Honors Disney CEO

A special evening was reserved to celebrate the achievements of Robert A. Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, who was honored on Oct. 5 at UCLA's Millennium Ball 2006. The event, which raised nearly $5 million for the new hospital that is slated to open in fall 2007, was a benefit gala dinner held at the future home of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The spotlight shined on the successful entertainment company executive, who was chosen to receive the award, presented to him by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in recognition of his career and life accomplishments, and his commitment to a new standard of excellence in medical care.

Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures Corporation, and Jim Wiatt, CEO of The William Morris Agency, chaired the event. Anne Dunsmore assisted with the events fundraising efforts through Capital Campaigns. Along Came Mary Productions catered and produced the dinner gala, and Don Mischer Productions produced the program, which featured ABC's late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel as master of ceremonies and a performance by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys.                                        

 

Celebrity attendees included Ellen Pompeo, star of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"; Nicollette Sheridan, James Denton, Ricardo Antonio Chavira and Brenda Strong from ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Other famous faces who were present included Sela Ward; Julie Andrews; Geena Davis; singer Michael Bolton; and Matt Dallas of ABC Family's "Kyle XY."

Many other VIPS were there for the big night and included the following top executives and local luminaries: Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton; Eli Broad; Robert Day, TCW Group Chairman; Peter Chernin, News Corp. President and COO; Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO; Ron Meyer, Universal Studios Group President and COO; Jerry Perenchio, owner, Chartwell Partners LLC; Ray Irani, Chairman, President and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Stewart Resnick, Chairman, Roll International Corporation; Robert Eckert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mattel; Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group Chairman and CEO; Steve Tisch, New York Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President; Thomas O. Staggs, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company; Richard Cook, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group; among many others.

 

"Continuing UCLA Medical Center's tradition as one of the nation's top-ranked hospitals, the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will provide the public with one of the world's finest medical centers," stated Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor of Medical Sciences, and dean of The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, in a news release. "The Millennium Ball enables UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center — its teaching hospital — to maintain excellence in teaching, research and patient care. We truly appreciate the generous support of Bob Iger, Jim Wiatt, Brad Grey and all the other members of the Los Angeles community who have so graciously given of their time, energy and resources to make this event such a stellar success."

The UCLA Medical Center, which opened its doors around 1955, was damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Structural damage and new California hospital seismic safety standards prompted the federal government to allocate millions to assist the world-renowned university in building the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to replace it. The State of California has provided additional funding, as well as generous donors in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Renowned architect I.M. Pei designed the architectual gem, which will house one of the largest and most technologically advanced medical and trauma centers in the western United States. One of the first structures in the state to meet stringent California earthquake-safety standards, it will be a state-of-the-art facility incorporating the latest technology and design to further enhance patient care, teaching and research leading to medical breakthroughs that benefit society and improve quality of life.

"Our doctors, nurses and staff help the sick, advance medical knowledge and pursue scientific research so that the people of Los Angeles and beyond have access to the highest quality medical care," stated Dr. David L. Callender, associate vice chancellor and CEO, UCLA Hospital System. "This event has been a wonderful tribute to our outstanding health care team at UCLA Medical Center — and the future home of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center."

SOURCE 

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