The founding of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association is a familiar story about four women who made plans around a kitchen table in Florida. But equally important to PHA’s history are the husbands, who were co-founders, visionaries and partners in creating PHA.

Jerry Paton was a loving husband who supported and championed his wife’s commitment to find a cure for PH. His wife, Pat, was diagnosed with pulmonary arterial hypertension, then called primary pulmonary hypertension, in December 1987.

After her diagnosis, Pat received the standard advice of the time: Get your affairs in order because you likely live only six weeks to six months. After starting an experimental drug, Pat’s health began to improve. She and her sister, Judy Simpson, connected with two women in Florida. The four women and their husbands laid the groundwork for the organization that would become PHA.

Their children got involved too. In the early days, before PHA had employees, the association relied solely on volunteers. The Patons’ daughter, Julie, became PHA’s first full-time non-patient volunteer.

When Julie died in 1998, her family wanted to honor her memory by recognizing her work as a PHA volunteer. They created the Julie (Paton) Hendry Memorial Scholarship to bring deserving non-patient volunteers to PHA’s biennial international PH conference.

Jerry Paton was a member of the founding board and co-treasurer during PHA’s first two years. He served as treasurer for the next six years and then acted as assistant treasurer for several years. He became an emeritus member of the PHA Board of Trustees in January 2008.