Philadelphia (November 2000)--President Clinton has nominated Gerald S. Segal, Esq., to serve on the National Council on Disability. Mr. Segal, a resident of Haverford and founder of the law firm of Segal, Wolf, Berk, Gaines and Liss, is a member of Magee Rehabilitation’s Board of Trustees and is the Hospital’s leading benefactor.

The National Council on Disability is responsible for promoting the integration, independence and productivity of individuals with disabilities in the community, schools, workplace and all other aspects of American life. In the fulfillment of this mission, the Council evaluates the effectiveness of federal government programs and statutes concerning individuals with disabilities.

Mr. Segal has demonstrated a long and abiding interest in helping people with disabilities. A quadriplegic, Mr. Segal has recovered sufficiently to resume his law practice, and pursue his favorite avocation, playing golf with friends. His annual Segal Golf Classic for the benefit of Magee Rehabilitation’s patients is the Philadelphia region’s most successful one-day golf charity event. Last year the Classic raised $400,000, bringing the 11-year total to over $2 million. Over the years, Classic funds have provided for everything from the construction of the one-of-a-kind Jerry and Carolyn Segal Center for Community Skills on Magee’s rooftop, to adaptive and therapeutic equipment for the Hospital and for patients in need.

The Segal Classic has also funded the purchase of three wheelchair-accessible buses to transport patients, 15,000 meals from the Friends and Family Meals Program for patients’ families and friends, and Community Re-Entry Scholarships that help patients with brain and spinal cord injuries reenter the community mainstream.

Classic funds have also provided for the development of a computer training center for people with disabilities, new televisions and free TV service for all patients, renovations to patients’ rooms and the spinal cord injury floor, a community center for stroke patients, and much more. A role model for Magee’s patients, he also visits and encourages them to regain their highest level of health and independence.

Besides his efforts on behalf of Magee, Jerry Segal is also a member of the Board of Directors of Temple University Law School Alumni and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center and has served on the Mayor’s Commission for People with Disabilities.

Mr. Segal is the recipient of numerous awards including the Man of Vision Award of the Fight for Sight of Greater Philadelphia, the 1994 Fund Raising Volunteer of the Year Award from the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, and the Founder’s Award of American Friends of Haifa University. He is also a member of the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame.