Jerry Segal has become a household name for many people in the Delaware Valley. A former Magee patient, Jerry is a record-breaking fund raiser, a local celebrity, a board member, and a successful businessman. These accomplishments are all tied to one common theme in Jerry's life — persistence.

Jerry Segal has never been one to give up. His determination to overcome debilitating back problems led him to undergo surgery in 1988. When Jerry awoke from that surgery to find he had no sensation or movement from his neck down, it was with the same persistence that he vowed to somehow regain his independence. During his rehabilitation at Magee, Jerry encountered many obstacles and frustrations. But his persistence allowed him to face and surmount challenge after challenge.

It is this same sense of determination that has made The Jerry Segal Classic into what it is today. At the outset, it was just a vision — an event to help the facility that had helped Jerry take back his independence. In 1990, only two years after the surgery that had left him with quadriplegia, Jerry organized The Friends of Jerry Segal to plan the first Jerry Segal Classic. By anyone's standards, the first year's tournament was a huge success. Over 100 golfers turned out, and together they raised $56,000.

Many would have been happy to stop there, but not Jerry. He worked to make each year's tournament bigger and better than the one before. In 2006, the tournament celebrated its 17th year by raising $1,000,000. The tournament is now played on two courses to accommodate the more than 300 golfers who turn out each year.  The Classic also accommodates more than 450 dinner guests.

And Jerry is still just as determined. At The Jerry Segal Classic, you will see Jerry golfing with his friends and business associates who help make the tournament possible — quite an accomplishment for a man who still lives his life with the challenges of quadriplegia. And his friends are familiar with his resolve to be independent, even on the golf course. "My friends know that if I fall when I take a swing, nobody helps me up," says Jerry. "If I fall, I get up myself." And he does get up. And as with anything else — he tries again.

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