George Throop might tell you he has slowed his pace just a bit. “I don’t play golf anymore  —  my equilibrium isn’t too great,” he says.

The fact that George is 82 years old is not reason enough for this extraordinary man to slow down, nor did he allow cancer to dampen his spirit for life. In May 2000, after being diagnosed with lymphoma, George underwent an autologous stem cell transplant under the guidance of Stephen J. Forman, M.D., becoming the oldest patient in the 30-year history of City of Hope’s Bone Marrow Transplant Program.

Today, George is back to living an active and satisfying life. A native of Pasadena, California, and the second-generation owner of George L. Throop Inc., a building materials company founded by his father in 1921 and now operated by his own two sons, George is a man who has always contributed to his community. An active member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses since 1960 and past president of charitable and professional organizations such as Kiwanis and the Building Materials Association, his ethic has always included volunteerism.

For the past six years, George has expanded his volunteer efforts to bring joy to hospitalized children. He began crafting wooden children’s toys in association with The Happy Factory, a charitable organization dedicated to placing toys in the hands of children who might not otherwise have them. Spending two to three hours a day, George builds a variety of toys with wheels that are given to children to paint and make their own. To date, George has built and donated more than 5,500 toys to six Los Angeles area hospitals, including City of Hope.