May 5, 2000

ON A VISIONARY WHOSE BRILLIANT TELETHON SEGMENTS TOUCHED MILLIONS OF HEARTS

It's my sad duty to report that the man principally responsible for MDA's high-quality video output for many years, Jerry Auerbach, died on April 20 at his home here in Tucson, Ariz. This is a doubly tragic event for me. As director of our Television Production Division, Jerry was one of the primary creative forces at MDA for over four decades. He was also a very dear personal friend.

I first encountered Jerry when I was director of MDA's Public Information Department at our national office, then situated in New York, during the 1950s. Jerry, who started his career as a combat cameraman during World War II and had by the 1950s become a successful independent New York producer, phoned me and proposed making a film for MDA.

I told him that as a fledgling organization MDA had scant funds to expend on such a project. Jerry countered that he didn't intend to bill us; if we'd provide the film stock, he'd see that the job got done.

Jerry kept his word and the film was a great success. He continued to produce and direct informational films for MDA up until his death. Jerry always made sure his films riveted the attention and drove MDA's point home in a meaningful way.

Jerry's videos chronicled MDA's research program ("Hope's Harvest," "Era of the Gene"), MDA clinic services ("The Human Touch"), MDA's volunteer programs ("Change the World," "What's In It For Me?"), and MDA's comprehensive ALS program ("With Strength and Courage"). Each of his films is filled with fresh ideas and visual excitement to please the eye while touching the spirit.

Jerry Auerbach

Most recently, informational videos created under Jerry's supervision included two new pieces about ventilation for people with neuromuscular diseases. One, "Breath of Life," is specifically designed for medical professionals, including physicians and respiratory therapists. The other, "Breathe Easy: A Respiratory Guide for People with Neuromuscular Diseases" can be a useful tool for families making difficult decisions about assisted ventilation.

Another new MDA video, an updated version of the classic MDA summer camp film, "Where The Green Grass Grows," is a captivating and extremely touching history of MDA's unique camp program.

In addition to creating outstanding informational videos, Jerry also took on the task of producing live presentations for gatherings of MDA staff as well as friends and supporters of MDA. These events were memorable for the skill with which Jerry melded video footage, in some cases occurring on numerous screens simultaneously, with live speakers, often individuals affected by the diseases in MDA's program.

For our annual MDA Telethon, Jerry directed and produced talent segments done at remote locations but seamlessly integrated into the live Telethon broadcast. Jerry remained undaunted while directing such formidable entertainment personalities as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., and secured smashing performances in all cases. He was also responsible for directing numerous celebrity appeal segments with top-of-the-line stars ranging from Jack Lemmon to Gregory Peck making pleas for support of MDA's urgent cause.

Perhaps Jerry's most brilliant and lasting contribution to MDA was the Telethon family profile, the video vignette focusing on a family facing a neuromuscular disorder.

Jerry was adamant that his profiles never resort to emotional manipulation or use of pity. Indeed, he opted to let the families tell their own stories in their own words. Typically, there are no narrative or editorializing remarks added to the profiles; the family members simply speak for themselves in the most honest and forthright manner possible about what it's like to live with a neuromuscular disease on a day-to-day basis.

Jerry's profiles became a hallmark of our Telethon and the single most effective way to galvanize public support for our cause. He loved the families and celebrities he shot, and they seemed to love him in return. To judge from the sympathetic outpouring of calls and letters we received after the announcement of Jerry's death, he made a tremendous, positive impact on many lives, more so than he probably knew.

All of us at MDA, who constituted Jerry's "second" family, offer sincerest condolences to Jerry's wife, Elaine, his four children and nine grandchildren.

We remain forever grateful for Jerry Auerbach's tremendous creativity and zest for life; for his boyish smile and countless colorful stories; for the incentive he always gave us to think in new and better ways; and for his personal commitment and dedication which he brought to our MDA family for over four decades.

With every best wish . . .

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