Why the name "Doc's DASH"?
In the early 1980's, C.B. “Doc” Pennington and his wife Irene bestowed on LSU a $125 million gift to create "the biggest and best nutrition research center in the country." Their gift created a stunning 234-acre campus in Baton Rouge housing 688,000 square-feet of state-of-the-art laboratories, clinics, conference facilities and office space. Doc’s vision has been realized. Today, Pennington Biomedical has become one of the foremost academic nutritional research institutions in the world. Doc and Mrs. Irene’s generosity has enabled scientific discoveries that have changed the way America eats, exercises and ages; and has advanced treatments for diseases from diabetes and dementia to obesity. We remember and honor Doc by naming this inaugural event after him.
“DASH” is a hat tip to one such groundbreaking Pennington Biomedical discovery – the DASH Diet, ranked for the past four years by U.S. News and World Report as the #1 healthy diet in America.
Want to learn a little more about Doc?
Claude Bernard “Doc” Pennington was born in Chunky, MS at the turn of the 20th century. He developed a passion for the oil industry as a boy when his family moved to Elton, LA near the site of the state’s first oil strike. His father ran a pharmacy and an eye and ear clinic there and though Doc made efforts to follow in his footsteps his heart was in Louisiana’s oil fields. During summer breaks from college he worked as a roughneck on oil wells. He went on to buy and sell gas leases for Shell, Texaco and other major oil companies before venturing off to start his own oil business. He found great success and became known as one of the country’s greatest wildcatters.
In the early 1980's, Doc and his wife Irene bestowed on Louisiana State University a $125 million gift to create "the biggest and best nutrition research center in the country." The gift would create a stunning 234-acre campus in Baton Rouge housing 688,000 square-feet of state-of-the-art laboratories, clinics, conference facilities and office space and become the foremost academic nutritional research institution in the world.
Today Pennington Biomedical Research Center puts science to work for a healthier Louisiana - all enabled by Doc and Mrs. Irene’s generosity.
Run Doc’s DASH with us in honor of Doc Pennington, Mrs. Irene and the incredible impact of their legacy.
