50 Stories for 50 Years

In honor of ANR's 50th anniversary, we're celebrating the people who built the smokefree movement. Over the past five decades, advocates, researchers, community leaders, and everyday champions have helped transform public health in collaboration with ANR. These voices represent years of grassroots organizing, training, and coalition building, and we are honored to share their stories throughout this milestone year.

In this month's feature, we spotlight the leaders who have shaped our legacy through service on ANR's Board of Directors. From our founder, who helped secure the nation's first No Smoking Sections, to today's board members, who continue to confront industry opposition and advance evidence-based public health policies, each story reflects the leadership that has powered 50 years of progress...

Pete Hanauer, is featured first:

Current ANR Board Chair, Sharon Y. Eubanks served for over 2 decades as a litigator for the U.S. Department of Justice. Sharon led the federal government's landmark civil RICO case against the major tobacco companies. Sharon later helped document the historic case as co-author of Bad Acts: The Racketeering Case Against the Tobacco Industry. Her work stands as a reminder that even the most powerful industries can be challenged when public health is at stake. 

Dr. Phil Huang serves as Director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. Throughout his career, he has led tobacco prevention efforts for the State of Texas, testified before dozens of city councils and state legislatures, and helped shape tobacco policy across the country. He has also helped communities across the state pass smokefree ordinances protecting workers and families from secondhand smoke inside restaurants, bars, and public spaces. Throughout those efforts, ANR was a constant resource for Dr. Huang, providing the research, technical assistance, and advocacy expertise needed to help communities in TX succeed. Dr. Huang joined the ANR Board in 2021 to give back to the organization that helped make so many of his public health victories possible.

Armando Jimenez joined the ANR/F Board in 2005 and has helped guide the organization for more than twenty years. Among his proudest memories is ANR/F's leadership in helping develop remedies for the landmark federal RICO case against the tobacco industry. He is equally proud of ANR/F's role as the nation's leading source of smokefree policy data. 50 years after ANR/F's founding, Armando believes the organization's work is more important than ever. As public health funding shrinks and evidence-based decision making faces increasing challenges, ANR/F continues to provide trusted science, community leadership, and advocacy that protects health and advances equity.

For Missy Tracy, creating healthier communities has always started with respect. A citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation and longtime leader at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison, Missy became one of the nation's strongest voices showing that tribal gaming and smokefree environments don't just coexist, they thrive together. Before joining ANR/F's Board of Directors, Missy partnered with the organization to help tell Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison's story after it became Wisconsin's first tribal casino to voluntarily go smokefree. She traveled the country sharing how protecting employees and guests strengthened the business while honoring Tribal values of caring for community and future generations. That partnership eventually led her to ANR/F's Board in 2021. 

Meet ANR Board Member Bruce Hetrick, a public relations professional, journalist, educator, and longtime advocate whose personal loss transformed him into a champion for smokefree workplaces. Bruce never expected to become a tobacco control advocate. In 2004, he lost his wife Pam, his business partner, best friend, and the stepmother of his twin sons, to cancer attributed to secondhand smoke. She was just 49 years old. With Pam's blessing, Bruce shared her story publicly, hoping others might be spared the same tragedy. Just weeks after Pam's death, Bruce was invited to testify in support of a smokefree workplace ordinance in Indianapolis. That testimony became the start of a years-long advocacy journey that helped advance smokefree protections across Indiana. Throughout that fight, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights provided guidance, expertise, and support. Bruce joined the ANR Board in 2009 and has helped advise the organization through his expertise ever since.

Click the button above for a Google form where you can upload photos, a video message, or write down your memories.

Rather talk to a real live person? Give Heidi a call at 510-841-3032, or email her (or just hit reply to this email)!