Rothwell

I was first attracted to the Park Ridge Center while playing golf with George Caldwell, one of the Center's founders. George shared with me his dream to form a group to study and to research the relationship between health, faith and ethics. His desire began in his hospital experiences where he witnessed patients repeatedly reaching back to their basic faith to try and find aid and solace when faced with life-threatening health problems.

As the Center took shape I was attracted to the work they were doing not only in the field of health-care but in the over-all context of strengthening and restoring this country's ties to its religious roots, which are so severely challenged these days.

As time went on and my ties to life in Naples, Fla., grew stronger, I recognized the importance of the Center's work with the "aging" part of our population, particularly as it would apply to the retirement community.

All of these factors seemed to converge and lead us to initiate the annual "Naples Symposium" where the various health, faith and ethical issues relating to the older generation are discussed, in addition to cloning, transplantation, and physician-assisted suicide.

Rothwell, retired chief executive officer of the General Binding Corporation in Northbrook, Ill., is a member of the President's Council, and a strong supporter of the Center. Now a resident of Naples, Fla., he is founder of the Center's annual Naples Symposium.