Legendary insurance mogul Maurice R. Greenberg and his wife, Corinne, were honored at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine April 11 at the dedication of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite bearing their name. Funded by a donation from the Maurice and Corinne Greenberg Foundation, the suite has been operational since fall 2004. Maurice Greenberg is former chairman and CEO of American International Group (AIG).

Snowball, the Greenbergs' 12-year-old Maltese and a cancer survivor, was the guest of honor.

"We are very grateful to Dr. Margaret McEntee for her superb care of Snowball," remarked Maurice Greenberg in recognizing Cornell's oncology team for its treatment of his dog for an oral mast cell tumor.

McEntee responded to the guest of honor, "Snowball, I am truly delighted that you have done so well and that you are here with us today as a bona fide cancer survivor." She also acknowledged Jonathan May, Cornell Class of 1980, the Greenbergs' veterinarian, who initially diagnosed and treated Snowball almost four years ago.

Also attending was the Greenbergs' close friend, Sanford "Sandy" Weill, retiring chairman and former CEO of Citigroup and, like Maurice Greenberg, a major benefactor of the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. In praising the generosity of both families, President Hunter Rawlings acknowledged the transforming impact they have had on the medical college.

In his closing remarks, Donald F. Smith, the Austin Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine, attributed the success of Cornell's oncology program to the outstanding clinical scholars and to the scientific roots of cancer biology within Cornell's biomedical sciences.

"With the addition of the marvelous support from the Greenbergs, the circle is complete," he said.