Butch Lemke worked at the Brush Wellman beryllium facility in Elmore, Ohio for ten years making parts for American weapons. In 1970, he was diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, an incurable lung disease caused by exposure to beryllium dust. For 15 years, although to an oxygen tank, Butch crusaded to help other victims of the disease and to expose conditions at the Brush Wellman facility. He spurred a major investigative series in the Toledo Blade, and helped organize support networks for victims of the disease. Butch died in 1999, and the Metzenbaum award was presented posthumously to his family.