It had become an almost daily afternoon ritual that spring in 1994. Jim Donahoe would ask his son Kevin to roll his wheelchair out to the family garden. As they made their way along, Heidi, the family’s Doberman, would follow, running circles around Jim’s wheelchair. Jim wanted to see his precious four-o’clocks. It wasn’t quite time for his beloved flowers to bloom, but Jim knew that he didn’t have much time. The cancer he was battling was beginning to take its toll. “As the four-o’clocks grew, dad’s condition weakened,” says Kevin. On April 5, 1994, he died of lung cancer in Metairie, Louisiana.

A humble man, he has since childhood a love for horticulture, and in particular for four-o’clocks, a species unique in that it blooms in the late afternoon. Jim would often share seeds from his four-o’clocks with family and friends. As his battle with cancer progressed, the colorful and fragrant flower became a person symbol of courage to him and a source of peace.

Jim bequeathed his passion for flowers to his mild child Kevin, an NLU alumnus who graduated in 1992 with a Master’s in Communications. A week after his father’s funeral, Kevin was walking through the family’s garden when he spotted one lone yellow four-o’clock in defiant bloom. An idea came tom him- one he knew would have meant so much to his father. Jim Donahoe has passed away without his last request fulfilled- to see his lovingly-tended four-o’clocks bloom one last time. To honor him, Kevin decided to launch a campaign that would plant his father’s four-o’clocks across America and ultimately increase awareness of cancer. “I’m more conscious of the factors that cause cancer now,” he says. “My father’s cancer has given me a new perspective on life.”

Donahoe’s plan was to send packets of the four-o’clock seeds from his father’s garden to certain groups and then to keep a scrapbook of their responses. On his father’s birthday, July 17, he planned to make a gift of the book to his mother, Dot Donahoe. When four-o’clocks were blooming in gardens across the nation, Kevin would have symbolically fulfilled his father’s last request.

The first free packets of 10 filled with four-o’clock seeds from his father’s garden were sent to U.S. Postmasters and postal employees. Upon receiving the seeds, the postmasters and postal employees took a great interest in Donahoe’s project and sent immediate responses. They began to see the seeds as a symbol of hope for a cure for cancer. Postal Service employees sent small token gifts such as state pins from Alaska, New Jersey, and Colorado Springs; a golden angel from Los Angeles; and first-day covers from Denver and Spokane.

“Kevin’s efforts, which began as a memorial tribute to his father, who had died after a lengthy battle with cancer, addressed a critical and human education need for those touched by the disease to fight against it. The Postal Service has joined the fight,” Marvin Runyon, Postmaster General of the United States, wrote in a 1998 letter to Kevin. The story of the Four-o’clock Tribute was also covered in Focus, The U.S. Postal Service’s internal publication. As a result, thousands of postal workers, across the nation requested seeds. In a later incarnation of the publication, Postal Life, several thousand more asked for seeds to plant in their gardens and to share with family and friends.

The next wave of seeds were sent to the “first families” of all 50 states. Donahoe has received responses from many of them. In 1994, Governor David Walter of Oklahoma personally wrote to Kevin, commending him on his efforts. Like Kevin, Governor Walter had lost a parent to cancer.

Donahoe was overwhelmed by the responses he received. He had only a month to get the scrapbook together, never imagining that the response would be so great. Originally, he wanted to present the book to his mother in the private setting of their home. But the project grew and attracted local media interest, so the event was held at a local garden.

“There were over 100 people attending the ceremony,” said Donahoe. “I wanted to keep it as a surprise, but mother started to get suspicious when the calls came in. A postmaster called to confirm some information and she suspected something wasn’t right. I finally had to tell her because the event had grown too large to have at home.”

As word spread, Kevin received responses from individuals who had heard about the campaign and wanted seeds to plant in their own gardens. Many wrote with words of praise. “I will indeed plant the seeds you have sent me. I’m sure your father would have been very proud of you... your undertaking was no small feat and obviously a symbol of love,” H. Norman Schwarzkopt, General United States Army retired wrote in 1997.

Since its inception in 1994, the campaign has gained international attention. The Governor of the Territory of Guam sent several letters of praise for the Four-o’clock campaign. First Lady Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore have also received four-o’clock seeds. In 1996, the campaign had received so many responses from U.S. Ambassadors, kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, and other world leaders that Kevin could no longer limit his efforts to the continental U.S. That year, the U.S. Postal Service tied the project in with the release of their Breast Cancer Stamp.

Research organizations such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health have also participated in the Four-o’clock Tribute. “Kevin is clearly a man who is driven to make a difference in this world. He is a man who has embraced, ‘Ask not what my country can do for me, but what I can do for my country.’ Kevin has answered this question and is doing it,” wrote Tom Peters, Vice President of the American Cancer Society. The project continues to attract local, state, and national media attention, and has been carried by the Associated Press and CNN. Recently, Kevin received a letter stating that the Four-o’clock campaign may possibly be included in the Tournament of Roses millennium parade which will be viewed by over 125 million people around the world next January.

Recently Donahoe was recognized for his loving tribute to his father by the Points of Light Foundation, the Corporation for National Service, and the Knights of Columbus. He received the Daily Points of Light Award, which honored his volunteerism efforts toward solving a local and national social problem. “You are an outstanding example of what we can do for our fellow citizens through community action, through volunteer service. Citizens like you are helping to build a bridge to the 21st century and craft a better future for all of us,” wrote President Clinton. Former President Bush was on hand to congratulate Donahoe and other recipients of the award.

Clinton has established the Clinton Birthplace Foundation in honor of his mother, Virginia Kelly, (who died of cancer in 1994)--- four-o’clocks have been planted at the memorial garden dedicated to her. Donahoe’s efforts have also been recognized by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater New Orleans and the River Region, who recognized him with an Outstanding Volunteer in New Orleans award. Louisiana Governor Mike Foster took a special interest in the tribute, inviting Donahoe to dine at the Governor’s Mansion to discuss the project.

“I attribute the success of this project to Dr. Robert Carroll, former Director of the NLU Office of Public Affairs, and to Dr. Richard Baxter, NLU’s Vice-president of University Advancement and External Affairs,” states Donahoe. “Dr. Carroll provided me with hands-on public relations techniques when I worked under him in the Office of Public Affairs at NLU. These skills were further honed through public relations courses that Dr. Carroll taught. Dr. Baxter was instrumental in providing me with the research skills that I utilized in the writing of my graduate thesis. These skills were later applied to research for the Four-o’clock project. I’m grateful to Dr. Carroll and Dr. Baxter for the knowledge I gained while I was a student at NLU.”

Soon the Four-o’clock project may grow even more- and go Hollywood. Donahoe recently attended the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention in New Orleans. “This was a major national and international event which dictates what will be seen on television in America and in some parts of the world,” says Donahoe. “I attended the convention to promote the project to celebrities, networks, etc. I was elated to be there because this convention could propel the project further around the country and the world.”

At the convention, Kevin met with many celebrities, handed out seed packets, and promoted the project. “Whoopi Goldberg loved the project and is planting the seeds,” he reports. “James Brolin is bringing his seeds home to give to his wife, Barbara Streisand. Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson of Dharma and Greg liked the project. Larry King loved the project and asked me to be on his cancer awareness show this March. Daisy Fuentes, who is active in cancer organizations, was interested and will be planting the seeds.” Richard Simmons, a fellow New Orleanian, is giving some seeds to his mom and planting others. Other luminaries such as Martha Stewart and John Lithgow also expressed interest and promised to plant their seeds.

Because he refuses contributions to underwrite his efforts, instead encouraging donations to cancer research organizations, thousands of dollars have been raised. In a few short years, Kevin Donahoe’s tribute to his father has bloomed at an amazing pace as more people become part of the project, “I had the four-o’clock seeds planted around the world so the sun would never set on them,” says Donahoe. “They would serve as a continuous symbol of hope that a cure for cancer would be discovered.”

One day, the cure for cancer will be found, and one man’s love for Four-o’clocks and his son’s love for his father will have contributed tremendously to winning the battle.