Red-Headed Benefactor

Having his name on a toll road in Texas did not interest Willie Nelson, but the singer has lent his name to a loftier purpose: a medical professorship in stem-cell research.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, made a pitch to Mr. Nelson's wife, Annie, who is interested in such research. The Nelsons liked the idea, so the singer staged a March 4 concert that raised $250,000 for the medical center's year-old stem-cell program.

The first recipient of the

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