2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 173
BY SENATORS CLAITOR, ERDEY AND WARD
A RESOLUTION
To commend the many accomplishments of Pennington Biomedical Research Center during
its thirty years of service and to express profound thanks and gratitude,
posthumously, to Claude B. and Irene Pennington for their generous philanthropy
that established Pennington Biomedical Research Center and continues to support it.
WHEREAS, LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center (Pennington
Biomedical) began as the vision of the late Louisiana philanthropist Claude B. "Doc"
Pennington "to build the biggest and best nutritional research facility in the nation", a vision
supported by the generous donation of Claude B. and Irene Pennington; and
WHEREAS, by 1989 Pennington Biomedical had signed a $3.5 million research
agreement with the United States Army and for three decades has secured more than
$80 million to conduct 130 research studies for the United States Department of Defense and
continues to meet the nutritional needs of our nation's warfighters; and
WHEREAS, the center has never deviated from its mission "to discover the triggers
of chronic diseases through innovative research that improves human health across the
lifespan" through research that includes collaborative efforts with public and private
institutions designed to enhance Louisiana's research infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the researchers at Pennington Biomedical rank among the world's
research elite, annually winning major competitive grants to fund their work, with each
Pennington Biomedical scientist/entrepreneur member bringing in $630,000 annually; and
WHEREAS, across thirty years, the state of Louisiana has appropriated $257 million
for Pennington Biomedical's basic operating expenses and Pennington Biomedical faculty
entrepreneurs have generated an additional $826 million in extramural funding, making
Pennington Biomedical an economic engine for the state; and
WHEREAS, the center's research contributions are among the most quoted in
Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 173 ENROLLED
scientific literature; and
WHEREAS, Pennington Biomedical is a world-renowned institution with ongoing
clinical research trials with Louisiana participants testing groundbreaking new treatments
for obesity and diabetes; and
WHEREAS, the center has participated in the development of medications within
every class of pharmaceuticals available to treat diabetes, which is epidemic in Louisiana;
and
WHEREAS, 2018 is Pennington Biomedical Research Center's thirtieth anniversary
year and it is an appropriate time to acknowledge the history of this Louisiana resource as
it continues its dedicated work to achieve "Doc" Pennington's vision.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby recognize and commend the many accomplishments of Pennington Biomedical
Research Center during its thirty years of service as well as express and publicly document
profound thanks and gratitude, posthumously, to Claude B. and Irene Pennington for their
generous philanthropy that established Pennington Biomedical Research Center and
continues to support it.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2