A Celebration of His Life | Jean Erhardt (c) with friends, Bryan Roe (l) and KyleDavis (r) of Gensler & Associates, at the first annual Big Ed Bowl |
How do you honor a man who made a difference to so many? A man whose bravery and positive attitude continued to stand out as an example even after he was gone? To Jean Erhardt, the answer was clear—you celebrate his life. In 2007, Mrs. Erhardt joined with architects Gensler & Associates to organize the first annual Big Ed Bowl, a fundraising celebration in honor of her late husband, Ed Erhardt. Friends, family, and generous sponsors gathered at the Lucky Strike bowling lounge in February 2007, enjoying strikes, spares, and the very rare gutter ball as a tribute to the memory of their friend. A patient of Dr. Timothy Kuzel’s at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Mr. Erhardt battled melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Throughout his difficult treatment, Mr. Erhardt remained a positive force for those around him. “ The opportunity to participate in Ed’s care was truly an inspiring event in my life,” Dr. Kuzel shared. “Ed and Jean’s ability to cope, fight the cancer with multiple aggressive approaches, and in the end, embrace quality of life and their time to spend together should be a lesson to those facing similar distress in their lives”  | The first annual Big Ed Bowl raised $25,000 for the Lurie Cancer Center |
The Big Ed Bowl raised more than $25,000 for Dr. Kuzel’s melanoma research, a monumental achievement for an event of its kind. “Throughout Ed’s fight, he was treated with compassion and dignity by a team of amazing doctors and nurses. It was his wish that funds be raised to support Dr. Kuzel’s ongoing work to help discover new treatments in the battle against melanoma,” said Mrs. Erhardt. “This event was a terrific way to gather Ed’s friends and pay tribute to a guy who loved to have a great time. I can’t wait for this year’s event!” The second annual Big Ed Bowl is planned for February 21, 2008 at the Lucky Strike. For more information on this event, please contact Kristine Neurauter at 312-577-6533 or email BigEdBowl@gensler.com.To make a gift in memory of Mr. Erhardt, please contact Heather Brennan of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine at 312-503-4837. | 
