Barbara Ann Karmanos, the late wife of Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos, Jr. passed away in 1989 at age 46 after an eight-year battle with breast cancer. Purtan and his wife, Gail, have been treated for cancer.
Cancer research is vastly underfunded.
We spend so much money on so many other things that I regard as less important than cancer research. The more money collected, the closer we get to a cure. The Compuware senior managers' donation to Karmanos is comparable with, or tops recent donations to cancer institutes nationwide. We need to give the Institute all the support we can, to help it meet its goals. The Alexander J. Walt Comprehensive Breast Center is the nucleus of the Institute's extensive breast evaluation network in southeastern Michigan.