

Founding Family
The London BRAIN & BIOBANK is proud to be named after London businessman Dale E. Creighton.
Dale Creighton grew up in London, Ontario where he was a gifted athlete in basketball, baseball and football. His time with the London Majors baseball team earned him a try-out with the Pittsburgh Pirates and while playing football he became and All-Star fullback for the Western Mustangs football team. Unfortunately, Dale's aggressive running style led to many injuries including numerous concussions.
After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1959, Dale joined London Life Insurance Company (Canada Life) as a Group Sales representative and held numerous positions of increasing responsibilities. In 1989, he was promoted to Executive Vice President, Operations and in April of 1992, Dale was elected to the Board of Directors of London Life Insurance Company and the London Insurance Group. In 1994, he was named Deputy Chairman of the Board and in 1996, retired from business life.
Dale also served as a Board Member of Versabank, the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA), LIMRA Agency Officers Round Table (AORT), the London YMCA-YWCA, and the London Branch of the Canadian Diabetes Association.
In 2006, Dale began to experience some signs of memory loss and repetitive behaviour. Dale was referred to the Brain Aging Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario. Over the course of the next few years, Dale participated in various studies and tests to determine the nature of these symptoms. Additional cognitive testing, brain imaging and blood analysis was able to refine the diagnosis as likely being Frontotemporal Dementia, a neurodegenerative disease.
Dale and the rest of the Creighton family pursued every avenue possible to help clarify and understand his condition. However, The Creighton family began to wonder if Dale’s symptoms might be due to the concussions he suffered playing football. Sadly, after a long and arduous battle with this illness, Dale E. Creighton passed away on January 16th, 2017.
However, Dale's determination lives on. Since a definitive neurodegenerative diagnosis is often difficult to diagnose and a conclusive determination can only be confirmed with a brain analysis post mortem, Dale donated his brain and spinal column for additional study. Dale wanted to do everything in his power to ensure others may be spared a similar fate. Dale’s legacy of giving ultimately manifested in Dale offering himself for the sake of knowledge and understanding - symbolizing the very essence of the Creighton family’s philosophy. To this end, on June 12, 202?, the London Brain & BioBank was proud to recognize and be named after Dale E. Creighton.
Dale’s foresight will become a legacy long remembered for helping piece together the puzzle leading to the early treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
Matthew Creighton
Dale's son, Matthew Creighton, was the Corporate Contract and Business Manager with a global leader of reconstructive medical devices. A third-generation Londoner, Matthew was raised believing in the importance of giving back to the community. As someone dedicated to making a difference, he was heavily involved in a number of organizations aimed at cognitive research and wellbeing.
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Matthew was Chair of the London Health Sciences Foundation Governance and Nomination Committee, a member of the London Health Sciences Foundation Executive committee, and an active member of the London Health Sciences Foundation Board of Directors. His passion for advancing our understanding of neuroscience and neurogenerative disorders has resulted in his enthusiastic support of the Dale E. Creighton Brain & BioBank.