Easing the pain

Although Charles “Charlie” Fullerton’s heart aches when he remembers his late wife of 55 years, Pat, he feels proud knowing he is pursuing their shared vision—a commitment to finding solutions to chronic pain.

Pat, who captured Charlie’s heart after his return from World War II, began suffering chronic pain from arthritis soon after Charlie retired. The constant throbbing and sharp jolts of agony that Pat suffered in her joints every time she moved instilled within the couple a common mission: find better pain management solutions.

When Pat died in 2002, that mission became Fullerton’s focus.

In Pat’s memory, Fullerton funded scholarships to support students at the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing interested in pain management. During The Campaign for UC Davis, he also created the Charles and Patricia Fullerton Endowed Chair in Pain Medicine to advance patient care, education and research on all aspects of pain management.

When asked why he gives to UC Davis in this way, Fullerton said, “This is what Pat and I wanted to do.”