Pete Frates, Charlie Baker, Karyn Polito. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, right center, and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, third from left, participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge with its inspiration Pete Frates, seated in center, to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, research at the Statehouse in Boston. Frates challenge raised millions of dollars for research on Lou Gehrig’s disease. Pete graduated from Boston College in 2007 and went on to become the college’s director of baseball operations in March 2012. The same month, he learned of his diagnosis with ALS and quickly succumbed to the physical hardships of the disease. Pete used a wheelchair following his diagnosis, and turned his ambitions towards raising money for research into the disease. In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised roughly $220 million and its impact is still felt today. Pete Frates passed away in the early days of December, 2019, confirmed by a statement from his family.
