A world leader in the field of scientific research and treatment of childhood diseases, St. Jude admits any child suffering from catastrophic illness and pays literally all related expenses not covered by insurance. Hopkins serves on the St. Jude Board of Directors and Governors as well as the board of the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC)-the fundraising branch of St. Jude. Where he finds true reward, however, is not in the boardroom but in the colorfully painted wings of the massive hospital. As he walks amidst a myriad of toys and games, greeting staff, thanking volunteers, and, at one point, stopping to play with a particularly energetic two-year-old, his enthusiasm for St. Jude and its mission is palpable.

One of Hopkins' most recent St. Jude endeavors has been as a vanguard for the development of an outreach in Beirut, Lebanon. Since the plan began to take shape in 1997, Hopkins has traveled to Beirut three times. "Going to Lebanon is like going back in the Bible. What I studied in Humanities class all came back to me," Hopkins says, reminiscing briefly about his former professor Jim Simms. "After that initial trip, one of the first things I did was take down my old Western Civ book. My wife doesn't know why I keep that raggedy old thing on the shelf, but it was my world when I was a freshman. And it's still my point of reference."

Last spring, Hopkins and a small delegation from St. Jude were joined by the President of Lebanon, the Prime Minister, and other high-ranking officials on the campus of the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where they officially dedicated The Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL). The facility, staffed by doctors and nurses trained in Memphis, offers advanced diagnosis and treatment capabilities and aims to support the formation of a cooperative pediatric oncology group in Lebanon.

The CCCL represents the long-time dream of Danny Thomas, the late entertainer and founder of St. Jude. By extension, it represents a long-time dream for Hopkins as well. In the years leading up to the opening of St. Jude in the early 1960s, Thomas encouraged young television viewers to save pennies and nickels to donate to the cause. Hopkins, who had recently lost two boyhood friends to leukemia, dutifully complied. In 1962, when he was in the 6th grade, his father took him to the opening of the hospital.

Bruce Hopkins '72 stands with the elephants at the entrance of Target House, a new long-term housing facility for St. Jude patients and families. Elephants represent family, long life, and playfulness.

The event marked the beginning of a commitment that was to grow exponentially over time. In 1987, Hopkins and his wife Jane personally took in a Chilean family whose son, Alfonso, was being treated at St. Jude. After hosting various members of the family for a year and a half, Alfonso lost his battle with leukemia. A few years later, just as the Hopkinses were about to visit them in Chile, the family returned to Memphis-their other son had been diagnosed with leukemia. This time the treatment process was successful, and the two families have stayed in close contact ever since. Bruce and Jane now maintain a car and rooms in their home specifically for relatives of St. Jude patients. They are currently hosting their nineteenth family.

Hopkins' next trip to Beirut, which had been postponed due to heightened uncertainty in the embattled region, will now take place latter this summer. He says he is certain that the throes of conflict will not be an impasse for their mission, and he feels the current situation only underscores the need for a free pediatric oncology center to serve the entire Middle East.

"Obviously it is an interesting time for an American to be in the Middle East," Hopkins says, noting that his latest departure from Beirut last spring was contemporaneous with Colin Powell's arrival. "But I can assure you, as an American and a Memphian, I have never felt prouder."