Jerry Segal
Encyclopedia
Jerry Segal is an attorney from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who was paralyzed as a result of neck surgery in 1988. He is also on the board of trustees for Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
.
Segal received his B.A. from Drexel University
and J.D. from Temple University Law School, and is a member of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Jerry Segal sits on many corporate boards, including to following:
Segal is a past member of the President's National Council on Disabilities appointed by President Bill Clinton
, and past President of Fight for Sight of Greater Philadelphia.
also in Philadelphia for rehab.
While at Magee, Segal set a goal to play golf again despite his condition. After leaving Magee, he planned to establish a benefit golf tournament to benefit the patients of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
and resumed is legal career.
In March 2010, Segal was diagnosed and treated for encephalitis
which had affected his brain and his spinal cord. He was again admitted as a patient of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
.
. Segal was able to tee off unassisted. That first event raised $56,000 to donate to Magee.
The Jerry Segal Classic is now Magee Rehabilitation Hospital's largest fundraising event. To date, the Classic has raised more than $10 million over 21 years for the patients of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
.
The 21st Annual Jerry Segal Golf Classic was held on September 24, 2010.
Now, the Segal Classic features Governor Edward Rendell, as honorary chair. Others in attendance include Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, NBA Hall-of-Famer Billy Cunningham
, former NHL standouts Bernie Parent
and Dave Schultz, former Eagle Mike Mamula
, and local TV and radio personalities Scott Palmer
and Howard Eskin
.
Other things the Classic has funded include:
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
.
Professional life
Segal is a founding partner of the law firm of Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss. He formed the firm in 1966 and is the Senior Partner and Managing Partner. The firm's specialty is civil litigation. It also deals with transactional and contractual work, putting deals together, and handling and drafting of contracts as well as continuing representation once underway. Segal is actively involved in many commercial ventures in the Philadelphia region.Segal received his B.A. from Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
and J.D. from Temple University Law School, and is a member of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Jerry Segal sits on many corporate boards, including to following:
- Independence Blue CrossIndependence Blue CrossIndependence Blue Cross is a health insurer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Together with its subsidiaries, IBC is one of the largest health insurers in the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania area of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. IBC...
; - Magee Rehabilitation HospitalMagee Rehabilitation HospitalMagee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
; - The Mayor's Commission on People With Disabilities;
- The Airport Advisory Commission;
- The Philadelphia Geriatric Center; and
- The Governor's Cabinet & Advisory Committee for People With Disabilities, appointed by Governor Edward G. Rendell.
Segal is a past member of the President's National Council on Disabilities appointed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, and past President of Fight for Sight of Greater Philadelphia.
Medical history
As a result of chronic back pain, Segal went to San Francisco for surgery performed by the nation's preeminent neurosurgeon. An accident occurred and caused Segal to be paralyzed from the neck down. Segal and his wife chose to return to Philadelphia for therapy. His first stop was Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where Segal went to stabilize his condition and install a therapeutic "halo" device on his head to immobilize it. The device enabled Segal to undergo therapy while bones healed. Segal then transferred to Magee Rehabilitation HospitalMagee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
also in Philadelphia for rehab.
While at Magee, Segal set a goal to play golf again despite his condition. After leaving Magee, he planned to establish a benefit golf tournament to benefit the patients of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
and resumed is legal career.
In March 2010, Segal was diagnosed and treated for encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
which had affected his brain and his spinal cord. He was again admitted as a patient of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
.
Jerry Segal Golf Classic
The first Jerry Segal Classic was scheduled to take place in October 1990 at the White Manor Country Club in Malvern, PennsylvaniaMalvern, Pennsylvania
Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,998 at the 2010 census. The main road through the borough is King Street, although the borough is also bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, and is near US 30 on the north. The primary cross street is Warren...
. Segal was able to tee off unassisted. That first event raised $56,000 to donate to Magee.
The Jerry Segal Classic is now Magee Rehabilitation Hospital's largest fundraising event. To date, the Classic has raised more than $10 million over 21 years for the patients of Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, founded in 1958, is a 96-bed specialty medical rehabilitation hospital providing physical and cognitive rehabilitation services. Magee’s flagship facility is located in Center City Philadelphia...
.
The 21st Annual Jerry Segal Golf Classic was held on September 24, 2010.
Now, the Segal Classic features Governor Edward Rendell, as honorary chair. Others in attendance include Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, NBA Hall-of-Famer Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
, former NHL standouts Bernie Parent
Bernie Parent
Bernard Marcel Parent , better known as Bernie Parent, is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, and also spent one season in the World Hockey Association with the...
and Dave Schultz, former Eagle Mike Mamula
Mike Mamula
Michael Brian Mamula is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College.-College career:Mamula played college football at Boston College...
, and local TV and radio personalities Scott Palmer
Scott Palmer
Scott B. Palmer was the chief of staff to United States Representative Dennis Hastert , the former Speaker of the House in the U.S. House of Representatives....
and Howard Eskin
Howard Eskin
Howard Eskin is an American sports radio personality for WIP-FM 94.1/WIP-AM 610 in Philadelphia.-Career:After Eskin graduated from Northeast High School in Philadelphia in 1968, he got his start in local radio at WFIL-AM when evening shift disc jockey George Michael hired him to be his engineer...
.
Segal Classic fundings
One of the accomplishments of the Segal Classic is the Jerry & Carolyn Segal Center for Community Skills. This rooftop streetscape at Magee helps patients prepare to overcome real-life obstacles such as potholes, manhole covers, cobblestone, curbs of varying heights, going to a mailbox and getting in and out of a car.Other things the Classic has funded include:
- New vans to transport patients;
- New equipment such as a new treadmill for locomotor training, wheelchairs, cushions;
- Reotherapy which is a state of the art, robotic technology that is used for improving upper extremity function in patients that have experienced ceverbrovascular accidents and other neurological conditions
- The Segal Family and Friends Meal Program which has provided nearly 50,000 meals for family members so patients can eat with their loved ones;
- Subsidize guest housing at the Windsor Hotel so family members can stay near their loved ones during rehabilitation; and
- Subsidize peer-mentor programs.