The UMass Chan Medical School community hosted a naming celebration event for the Paul J. DiMare Center on Wednesday, July 9, with more than 100 people in attendance, including UMass President Marty Meehan and members of the DiMare family.
The nine-story, 350,000-square-foot research building was named after Paul J. DiMare, a nationally known agricultural leader, philanthropist and Massachusetts native who was committed to supporting health care and medical research, in recognition of a $35 million gift from the Paul J. DiMare Foundation.
“This is a partnership with a family who is in the business of growing. Whether it's growing tomatoes in the sun-drenched fields of Florida or California or growing awareness of our research into some of the most challenging diseases of our time, the DiMare family intuitively understands the ingredients necessary for success at UMass Chan Medical School,” Chancellor Michael F. Collins said.
The $35 million commitment from the DiMare Foundation supports research into neurodegenerative and genetic diseases, especially ALS, and the recruitment of outstanding biomedical research faculty at all career stages at UMass Chan. The gift is the third largest ever received by the University of Massachusetts and will be designated entirely for the endowment.
“This remarkable act of generosity . . . has already made a profound difference and has sent a clear message to the extraordinary community of researchers here that their work really matters,” UMass President Marty Meehan said.
The Paul J. DiMare Center is home to more than 70 principal investigators focused on neurology, neurobiology, neuroscience, psychiatry, molecular medicine and gene therapy.
“This level of philanthropy symbolizes unwavering support for biomedical research and demonstrates the DiMare family's commitment to treating neurodegeneration,” said Daryl Bosco, PhD, the Paul J. DiMare Chair in Neurodegenerative Disease, professor of neurology and biochemistry & molecular biotechnology and associate vice chair of research for the Department of Neurology.
The DiMare family members on hand for the celebration included Swanee DiMare, wife of Paul J. DiMare, and Paul’s four sons, Paul Jr., Anthony, Scott, and Gino, along with their spouses and children.
Photo: John Gillooly
The special event included a tour of the DiMare Center and the labs of Dr. Bosco and Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Neurosciences and professor of neurology; and an unveiling of the donor acknowledgement plaque in the lobby. The DiMare family was presented with a replica plaque.
“This magnificent research building . . . stands not only as a tribute to the life Paul lived, but as a beacon of hope for the lives we still aim to save. The Paul J. DiMare Center will serve as the lasting legacy of a man whose determination, generosity and spirit continue to inspire us all,” Swanee DiMare said.
The DiMare Center opened June 7, 2024, with an event at which World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, delivered the keynote address.
Born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, Paul J. DiMare began working in his family’s produce business at Boston’s Haymarket Square as a child and over the years eventually led and expanded operations and distribution nationally to become one of the country’s most innovative, inventive and influential agricultural business leaders. Today, the DiMare Company, based in Homestead, Florida, is one of the largest fresh-market tomato growers and distributors in the country.
DiMare was a committed philanthropist who was deeply involved in numerous community organizations and nonprofits. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and died the following year at the age of 81.
