A KEY FOUNDER OF PPML
In Memoriam: Edward James Price (1922-2004)
Ed Price was born July 28, 1922, in New York City. He served as an Army Engineer in World War II, and graduated later from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in industrial engineering. He worked for Proctor & Gamble for 37 years with assignments in Cuba, Mexico, Great Britain, Belgium, and Spain. He retired to Charleston, South Carolina, attracted by the opportunities to participate in his lifelong love of sailing and by the city’s many other charms. He was first diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer in 1987 after a TURP. In 1993 a PSA of 4.7 prompted a biopsy that discovered Gleason grades 4 + 4, and it was at this time that he was first treated. He died of advanced prostate cancer on November 30, 2004 in Charleston.
In early 1995 Ed conceived of the idea of establishing a prostate problems e-mail discussion list on the model of discussion lists that existed on the Prodigy internet service. He sought out Marianne Brousseau, whom he met through Prodigy and who had experience in managing a breast cancer discussion list, and asked her assistance. Marianne introduced him to Kevin Sinclair, who had technical expertise in e-mail discussion list server software. These individuals and technical staff at St. Johns University accomplished the work necessary to establish the Prostate Problems Mailing List on the servers at St. Johns during June 1995. The list opened to outside subscribers during the first days of July.
During its first nine of years PPML’s existence, a number of persons served as facilitators, but Ed Price was the one major constant around which the PPML formed. The success of the list owes a great deal to the many valuable contributions of its other facilitators and of its subscribers, but it was Ed’s nine years of attentive concern that were particularly significant in making the list the wonderful resource that it is.
These were Ed’s words in his resignation post to the PPML in August 2004:
All -
Reluctantly the progression of my PCa has reached the point that I am forced to drop out as an Active Owner of the PPML, ACOR’s designation for what early on we decided needed a less controlling or dominant identifier — Our choice — Facilitator. It was felt this better matched our desire for a friendly forum focused on learning about our unwelcome guest, its diagnosis, treatment options and side effects that would help us make the best possible personal treatment decisions for our unique individual circumstances.
I have learned a lot of personal information that has been of great value to me since the start up in 1995 and I feel we have had considerable success in meeting the forum goals.
I will continue as a subscriber and hope to make the occasional constructive contribution.
The PPML will go on but with Charles Clausen continuing to do the busy work associated with managing the list and hopefully helping the PPML reach new heights of participation, support and service.
Best Wishes -
Ed Price
Prostate Cancer International, Inc. 