MESAB 14 Annual Awards Dinner

Mar. 29, 2004

Hotel Pierre, NY, NY

MASEB is an organization that was founded for the purpose of increasing the number of qualified healthcare professionals in South Africa, thereby affording more availability of reliable healthcare to residents, otherwise, would not have access to needed medical care. The event was quite touching, not to mention meaningful. The honorees for this year were William C. Weldon, the chairman and CEO of Johnson and Johnson, and Bobby Godsell, the CEO of Anglogold, both of whom were very deserving of this recognition.

The event started out with a warm greeting from famed actor Ossie Davis, the master of ceremonies for the evening. Mr. Davis spoke to the audiece about the progress that South Africa has made over the years, through the first democratic election, and onward, but then emphasized the importance of the MESAB organization, because South Africa still has many needs to fulfill. After briefing the audience about the organization, Mr. Davis turned the floor over to Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., the Founding Director and Chairman on the MESAB Board of Directors. Mr. Sullivan spoke highly about the Kaisers, Herb and Joyce, who formed the organization almost twenty years ago. He spoke about how he had received excellent treatment for malignant melanoma while in South Africa, but then commented that he was “white”, and that he was not very certain that, had he been of African origin, he would have had access to the same kind of quality treatment. This is why the Kaisers had started the MESAB organization—to make this same kind of quality healthcare available to everyone in South Africa, not just the Caucasian population. In his speech, Mr. Sullivan told the audience that everyone must be grateful for the access they have to qualified medical treatment, and that we need to reach out to the “less blessed”, who are less fortunate.

The next speaker to address the audience was Dr. Sam Makhudu Gulube, the Chairman of MESAB South Africa Trustees. Dr. Gulube spoke about the progress of the organization in its reaching many, many people, not only benefiting the lives of South Africans, but also its main thrust, which is giving opportunity to those of South African origin to attain an education in medicine. Later on, Dr. Sindiswe Londiwe Shangase, a dentist, spoke, telling the audience about how, if it weren’t for MESAB, she would have never pursued her dreams in dentistry, having been born into a poor family which would not have been able to provided her with the necessary funding to get into medical school. Dr Shangase sounded most grateful, as anyone would, had an organization reached out to them and made it possible to fulfill her dreams.

The first honoree we heard speak was William C. Weldon, the Chairman of Johnson and Johnson, who also spoke about the importance of reaching out to our neighbors, despite how far away they may be, and gave more overview of how the organization is making great strides in not only helping to educate South African Blacks, but consequently in increasing the amount of available medical treatment to residents of South Africa.

The next honoree to speak was Bobby Godsell, the CEO of Anglogold. Mr. Godsell started his speech by talking about the miracle of the transfer of power from a white minority to a black majority, referencing South Africa’s transition over to a democratically elected political system, and then spoke about many of the so-called “disappointments”, namely, the severe HIV/AIDS epidemic. He was quited as saying “”Out one neighbor Zimbabwe, seems entirely intent on destroying itself, and the encouraging start it made on its own road to freedom, and the economic sanctions of the U.S. and European Union, the trenchant criticisms of most countries, and the quite diplomacy of others, including South Africa, all seem helpless to arrest a spiral of economic, social and political collapse.” Mr. Godsell’s other comments include his reference to MESAB’s most concrete and tangible objectives, saying that “MESAB’s aim is to equip more black South Africans with first rate healthcare skills.” He emphatically stated how relevant it is do this, what with the shortage of qualified healthcare workers and the oversized population of South Africa. After Mr. Godsell’s marvelous speech, we heard warm closing remarks by the dinner co-chairs, Stanley M. Bergman and Will Stephen.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about M.E.S.A.B. may visit their website at http://www.mesabsa.org.

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