When Ginny Aday founded both the Michael W . Aday Endowed Support Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research and the Michael W . Aday Pancreatic Cancer Research Acceleration Fund , she both secured her late husband ’ s legacy and made a meaningful contribution to the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center ’ s work to innovate and refine pancreatic cancer care .

Her generous $ 1,000,000 gift consists of two separate contributions . The first is a $ 500,000 endowed support fund , and the second is a spendable $ 500,000 fund . Both gifts are to be used for pancreatic cancer research and will be distributed via the O ’ Neal Invests program .

Ginny gave this donation in commemoration of her late husband , Michael . Michael was an Army Ranger , and while serving during the

Vietnam War , he received a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts . Following his military service , he had a successful career with Fortune 500 companies , the majority of which was spent with the Clorox Company . In his later years , he was a professor of business and dean of Virginia College . He loved to travel and was able to see much of the world . Michael was active for several decades at Canterbury United Methodist Church . An avid sports fan , he was a proud supporter of Florida State University athletics , his alma mater .

Michael passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2021 and is survived by his wife , son Ryan , daughter-in-law Jennifer and granddaughter Lauren . Through her gift , Ginny immortalizes the memory of her husband , and she helps

the doctors and researchers at the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center pursue a brighter future for pancreatic cancer care .

— MACKENZIE SEXTON

Courtesy of the Aday Family .