Wharton West: Vice Dean Helps A.L.S. Association
Bicycling as a Labor of Love

As a boy, Len Lodish had always dreamed of bicycling across the country. When his children were growing up, Lodish and his wife Susan spent extended-family vacations supervising five boys on cycling trips to Germany, Wales, England, and Holland. But by the time his children were grown, he still had not cycled from coast to coast.

Then in 1996, he found his chance to take 7 weeks to see the country by cycle and to raise money for the A.L.S. Association at the same time. His cousin, who was only a year younger than Len, had been diagnosed with the devastating disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (A.L.S.) that year, and Len learned all he could about the disease (also named Lou Gehrig’s disease). It took some persuading to convince Susan to spend 7 weeks camping on the road. She only relented after they agreed to stay in motels each night. They took off on their trademark tandem cycle with the rear wheel leaving the Pacific in Los Angeles and ended it 45 days later as their front tire rolled into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Henlopen, Delaware. During that trek, they raised $22,000, all of which was donated to the A.L.S. Association.

And once they started, the momentum was hard to stop. "The organization convinced us that that trip had generated so much good will and excitement, that we had to continue them, so we did," Lodish said. Each summer since 1996, the Lodishes have spent 2 to 3 weeks on their tandem cycle. So far, the couple has raised more than $200,000 in five trips that have taken them to the east and west coast of the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Uruguay, and most recently, Argentina. The Association simply added an item in their budget labeled "Lodish Event."

In addition to keeping an electronic journal with daily e-mail updates to friends, the latest technological gadget they have added is a digital camera to send back real-time images from Argentina.

Now, as vice dean of Wharton West, Lodish brings his bicycle with him on his west coast stints as he works to set up the new West Coast WEMBA (Executive MBA), executive education programs, and other initiatives at Wharton’s San Francisco campus. He calls San Francisco a "great" bicycle town but does admit there are some hills "you just have to avoid" when using pedal power.

• Wharton West
  
  
• Wharton Executive Education
  
  
• The Wharton School

This month's articles:

• Thought Leaders: Leading Up
  Acting as If You Were in Charge: What do you do when your boss is making a bad decision? Wharton Professor Michael Useem examines the consequences of keeping quiet.
• Laughter From the Front Lines: We learn how important it is to pay attention to the little nuances of conversations — even if you think you’re speaking the same language.
• Wharton West: Vice Dean Helps A.L.S. Association: When a teaching sabbatical, a relative’s diagnosis with a crippling disease, and a passion for bicycling all came together for Len and Susan Lodish.
• Wharton Fellows: Fellows at Chicago Regional Forum Set New Program Design Transformation.
• In the Classroom: The Leadership Journey: What’s Your Story? Your own story can become your leadership map.
• Out of the Classroom: Wharton Leadership Ventures: A new Wharton program helps you to walk the walk — across mountains and valleys — in search of new perspectives on leadership.
• The Last Word: Wharton and The New Business Reality: Taking Stock of the Future. Vice Dean Bob Mittelstaedt discusses Wharton scenarios for the future and a new program on "the new business realities."