MDA LEADER GOLDBERG DIES

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 6, 1998 -- Barry H. Goldberg of Plano, Texas, a leader in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's campaign against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), died at home Monday at age 51 after an eight-year battle with the disease.

Goldberg, who received a diagnosis of ALS in January 1990, was familiar to television audiences nationwide for his appearances on MDA's Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. He also gave speeches and wrote articles about the effects of the fatal neurological disease.

At the time of the diagnosis, Goldberg was a director of corporate marketing for the SABRE Group, a sister company of American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas. After he became ill, his company provided the equipment necessary for him to work out of his home, which he continued to do for several years.

Jerry Lewis, MDA national chairman, said, "Barry Goldberg was a close friend who personified for me the cruelty of ALS, as it progressively destroys the independence and the lives of people in their prime years.

"Though this disease severely limited his time and energy, Barry gave much of his immense talent to help MDA and other people with ALS and other neuromuscular diseases," Lewis added. "He was warm, funny and optimistic, and his upbeat perspective influenced everyone who knew him. Barry was a living example of grace and positive thinking."

Goldberg was a founding member of MDA's National Task Force on Public Awareness and a former member of its steering committee. He appeared in the MDA disability awareness print public service advertisement campaign that earned the Association a 1995 Media Award from the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. In addition, he volunteered as a systems operator for the MDA Forum on CompuServe, using voice recognition software and hardware to communicate with others affected by ALS.

Goldberg wrote motivational articles for a variety of print and electronic media around the world, including several MDA publications. He was a featured speaker at MDA's National Development Conference in 1991 and was active in MDA's ALS support group in the Dallas area.

He traveled throughout Texas and Oklahoma speaking to MDA staff, making presentations at fund-raisers and giving media interviews about the importance of MDA's ALS research. In recognition of his voluntary contributions to the Association, he received the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award.

In a 1994 article for MDA's national magazine, Quest, Goldberg wrote, "No matter how hard it is, fighting to stay positive is the difference between dying from a disease and living with it."

Goldberg appeared on the national broadcast of the MDA Labor Day Telethon every year from 1991 to 1994. After he became unable to travel to the broadcast, his videotaped appearances were featured on each subsequent Telethon.

Goldberg is survived by his wife, Vickie; daughter, Michelle; and son, Danny, all of Plano; his parents, Jack and Gertrude Goldberg of Los Angeles; and his sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis and Al Brotman of Cypress, Calif.

No services will be held. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Goldberg Family Fund, P.O. Box 868065, Plano, TX 75086-8065. A portion of the fund will go to MDA in Goldberg's name for ALS research.

ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive condition that destroys nerves controlling voluntary movement and leads to wasting and weakness of all muscles. ALS results in total paralysis, including loss of speech and muscle function necessary for breathing. The average life expectancy of those it affects is three to five years after diagnosis. There is as yet no cure.

MDA is the nation's leading nongovernmental funder of research on ALS and the largest provider of services to those affected by it. Having invested nearly $100 million in the battle against ALS, MDA-funded scientists have made great progress in understanding the causes of ALS and toward developing effective treatments for it. A drug that can slow the disease's destructiveness and add a few months to life expectancy is now on the market; MDA continues its aggressive search for better therapeutics or cure.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive patient and community services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. Recognized by the American Medical Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award "for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity," MDA maintains 230 hospital-affiliated clinics that offer families the best in care for progressive neuromuscular diseases. Its roster of 20 clinic programs in Texas includes four in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex -- at Neurological Clinic of Texas, University of Texas, Cook-Fort Worth Children's Medical Center, and Wilson N. Jones Memorial Hospital.

MDA annually funds some 400 scientific teams worldwide. These investigators have made significant advances toward cures for several muscle-wasting diseases. They have pioneered breakthroughs that may lead to therapies for heart disease, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and cystic fibrosis. For information about MDA and/or referrals to its clinics, call 1-800-572-1717, or visit its Web site at www.mda.org. MDA programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.