Mixed among the Cameron Crazies and the other Duke fans at Saturday's basketball game was former President George H. W. Bush, who traveled to Durham to recognize Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for his "personal commitment and leadership" toward eliminating cancer as a public health threat.
The 41st U.S. president is the founder of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. In 2001, Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of a CEO Cancer Gold Standard that calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and to then take concrete actions to address cancer in the workplace.
Since then, Coach K has provided support and leadership as an honorary member of the CEO Roundtable, a group he termed a "dream team" of committed, health-minded CEOs.
A news release from the organization said: "Coach K has also been a tireless leader in the effort to reduce the risk of cancer, promote early detection, and ensure access to quality treatment. When Coach K took to the court that bears his name in Cameron Indoor Stadium, he wore a CEO Cancer Gold Standard pin on his right lapel as he does at every game. Wearing the lapel pin close to his heart represents a very public display of his personal commitment to the fight against cancer."
The former president sat behind the Duke bench during its game Saturday versus N.C. State, which the Blue Devils won 95-60.
For more information about the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, visit www.CEORoundtableOnCancer.org.
Photos by Jon Gardiner/Duke University Photography
