Seeds for development of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center were planted in the late 1960’s when Governor Lurleen B. Wallace held office. Stricken with cancer, she was faced with traveling to and from Houston, Texas, for diagnosis and treatment until her death in 1968. This striking example of the inadequacy of cancer care in the State of Alabama at that time, coupled with the Governor’s popularity, led to the formation of the Lurleen Wallace Courage Crusade in 1968. The goal of this grassroots fund-raising effort was $5 million, and this was reached over a five-year period with donations from approximately one of every eight Alabamians. Dr. John Durant received funding for an NCI Cancer Center Planning Grant in 1970 and became Director of UAB’s Cancer Program in the same year. The Lurleen Wallace Courage Crusade and plans for a cancer center at UAB were coordinated to permit the establishment of a major tertiary care cancer facility in Alabama. The first Cancer Center grant was funded in 1972 ($4.3 million over three years) and was converted to a Cancer Center Core Support Grant in February of 1975.

Through Cancer Center renovation grants, approximately 24,000 square feet of space was renovated for genetics, virology, immunology, and NMR research. This space continues to be dedicated for cancer-related activities. The initial $5 million raised by the Lurleen Wallace Courage Crusade was combined with matching funds from the National Cancer Institute and the University Hospital. These funds were used for construction of the Lurleen B. Wallace Radiation Therapy and Tumor Institute and the Lurleen Wallace Patient Tower with an initial 80 beds dedicated for cancer care. These facilities were completed in December of 1976 and July of 1979, respectively. From 1975 to 1980, there was a dramatic increase in Cancer Center faculty, space dedicated to cancer, and overall grant support for cancer research. In 1980, construction of the 15,000 square feet Building for Special Cancer Research began, and the building opened its doors in 1981 to provide space for biohazardous research. A second major contribution from the Lurleen Wallace Memorial Foundation was a bequest of $4 million from the Sorrell family in 1980. This money provided the financing base for the School of Medicine’s McCallum Basic Health Sciences Building, which includes 12,000 square feet dedicated to the Cancer Center, as well as two additional floors (10,000 square feet each) for use by Cancer Center faculty in the Departments of Cell Biology and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.

In 1992, the Center expanded the Wallace Tumor Institute by adding three floors (45,000 square feet) of laboratory research space including a Pathogen Free Rodent facility which was partially funded by an NCI construction grant ($584,000). This $11 million project was primarily funded by a capital campaign led by the Cancer Center. This increment in space allowed recruitment of our Gene Therapy Group and expansion of our Tumor Immunology and Tumor Biology Programs with an emphasis on translational research.

Much credit for the building, recruitment and funding of the Comprehensive Cancer Center from its inception was due to the vital leadership and vision of John R. Durant, M.D., Center Director from 1970 to September of 1982, when he became President of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. Albert F. LoBuglio, M.D. was appointed as the new Director of the Center in March of 1983. He was formerly Director, Division of Hematology/Oncology and Director of the Simpson Memorial Research Institute at the University of Michigan.

A major review of all programmatic efforts and faculty in the Center was carried out in 1983 - 1984 with establishment of objectives, plans for implementation and submission of the Core Grant Competitive Renewal in June 1984. The five year renewal was successful with funding beginning March 1, 1985. The second competitive renewal of this administration was submitted February 1, 1989, site visited on September 7-8, 1989 and successful five year funding begun on March 1, 1990. Our next submission was in February 1994 and reflected a major re assessment of our programmatic efforts with consolidation of our clinical programs into a new Experimental Therapeutics Program organized to enhance translational, investigator initiated clinical research. In addition, we re organized our Cancer Prevention and Control Program under the direction of Dr. Edward Partridge with an emphasis on minority and underserved populations. That application was successful with 5 year funding from 03/01/1995 to 02/28/2000.

Our next competitive renewal was submitted in February, 1999 and featured a new Women’s Cancer Program and a developmental Chemoprevention Program and resulted in a successful 5-year funding period from 03/01/2000-02/28/2005. Our last competitive renewal was submitted in June, 2004 with a site visit in October, 2004 and included our four successful SPORE applications (Ovary, Breast, Pancreas and Brain Tumors), establishment of the Chemoprevention Program, Dr. LoBuglio assuming Center Director Emeritus, and Dr. Peter Emanuel as Acting Center Director. In July 2006, Dr. Edward Partridge assumed the role of Acting Director and was named to the permanent position in July 2007. This application was successful with funding from 04/01/05-03/31/2010.