In 1997, The Fred Hutchinson Business Alliance announced that the E. Donnall Thomas Medal of Achievement would be awarded to George and Jane Russell.

George Russel, Jr. is an international philanthropist focusing on the promotion of globalization, the destruction of nuclear waste, strengthened U.S.-Russian relations, humanitarian aid, and bridging divides between Muslims and non-Muslims in America.

The Thomas Medal of Achievement is named after E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., a founding member of the Hutchinson Center who in 1990 received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his pioneering achievements in bone-marrow transplantation, which have saved thousands of lives.