Man on a mission

David Zacks (’64, JD ’67) travels worldwide to lead the fight against cancer.

hen David Zacks (’64, JD ’67) was a boy growing up in New Bern, North Carolina, his mother and father owned the Parisian dress shops. But three nights a week his mom volunteered at a local hospital. The seed of helping those in need was planted in his soul at a young age. When he came to Wake Forest, that seedling was nourished by the likes of Ed Wilson (’43), Bill Starling (’57), and his debate coach Franklin R. Shirley.

Today that seedling, nourished by personal experience, has reached maturity. Zacks, a highly regarded litigator and partner in the international firm of Kilpatrick Stockton in Atlanta, is halfway through his one-year term as chairman of the National Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society. Much of his time is spent traveling around the globe, promoting the group’s mission and goals.

As a student, one of Zacks’ friends was Brian Piccolo (’68). When Piccolo succumbed to cancer years later, Zacks made a donation in his memory to the ACS. “I followed what they did with those funds, and I was impressed with what I saw,” he said. After his dad died of lung cancer and his mother and sister became breast cancer survivors, his commitment to the organization strengthened. “Each work effort with the American Cancer Society gave me a greater determination to make something happen,” he said.

Zacks volunteered with the local ACS chapter in Augusta, Georgia, then became head of the Augusta division. After he moved to Atlanta he became chairman of the Georgia division, then was elected to the national board. He serves on the Council of the International Union Against Cancer based in Geneva, and as an instructor in the American Cancer Society University, he trains scholars from abroad on strengthening the capacity of developing cancer societies in smaller countries.

He is proud that several years ago the ACS established its 2015 goals and is well on its way to meeting them. “We don’t just say we’re busy fighting cancer,” said Zacks. “We have three goals: reducing overall cancer mortality rate by 50 percent (4.9 million fewer deaths); reducing the incidence of cancer by 25 percent (5.7 million fewer cases); and measurably improving the quality of life for all cancer survivors. Another goal is to take an aggressive role in palliative care and end-of-life issues.”

In a time when the public is somewhat skeptical of nonprofit organizations and their financial activity, Zacks realizes that accountability is top on the ACS agenda. He points out that the group has given much of its research funding to beginning investigators. ACS has funded thirty-two Nobel Prize winners. Funds are also allocated to cancer prevention (tobacco control, healthy diet education), detection and treatment, and patient support.

“We are the largest not-for-profit health care organization in the country, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we fulfill our mission and that at the end of the year our image is enhanced, not eroded, by our program of work and our conduct,” he said. “Our job impacts lives. That is important.”
– Cherin C. Poovey

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