Luis Carlos Honored as 14th Purple Eagle at FedEx St. Jude Championship

MEMPHIS, Tenn., August 12, 2026 - Today, 15-year-old Luis Carlos was honored as the 14th Purple Eagle during a special plane dedication ceremony at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Luis Carlos is the grandson of Kevin Brown, a 10-year FedEx team member on the Properties and Facilities Maintenance team, and a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®.

The Purple Eagle program, a cherished FedEx tradition since 2012, honors a St. Jude patient who is the child or grandchild of a FedEx team member. As the 2026 honoree, Luis Carlos will have his name permanently displayed alongside the iconic St. Jude logo on a FedEx Cessna Caravan aircraft.

In 2022, at the age of 11, Luis Carlos was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumor. His family turned to St. Jude, where he underwent surgery followed by proton beam radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Luis Carlos successfully completed his treatments in 2023. Today, he is a thriving teenager who enjoys golfing, playing baseball, and spending time with his family, including being a proud older brother to his two younger sisters, Luna and Nova Grace.

His mother, Maria, described the experience at St. Jude, saying, "Everything felt so surreal when we first got the diagnosis. But everybody at St. Jude was wonderful, completely wonderful, and they took great care of him through and through."

"Luis Carlos' incredible resilience, positive attitude, and strength of spirit are a true inspiration to our entire team," said Josh Canfield, senior vice president of Airline Technical Operations at FedEx. "We are privileged to continue this beautiful tradition, celebrating his journey while shining a light on the life-saving mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."

As Luis Carlos looks forward to reaching major teenage milestones like getting his driver's license and landing his first job, his named Cessna Caravan will fly as a symbol of hope and recovery across the skies, joining 13 other planes decorated with the names of Purple Eagle honorees, a testament to the longstanding FedEx and St. Jude partnership.

"The FedEx Purple Eagle ceremony is a powerful reminder of the special bond between FedEx and St. Jude families," said Ike Anand, President and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "For decades, FedEx has helped advance the St. Jude mission through its extraordinary partnership and generosity. Today, we celebrate Luis Carlos' inspiring story and express our deep gratitude for the compassion and commitment FedEx continues to demonstrate for St. Jude patients and families. Their support helps make it possible for St. Jude to advance research and treatment so that more children can survive and thrive."

The Purple Eagle ceremony is part of the opening schedule of the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

14 Years of Purple Eagle Honorees

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. With annual revenue of $86 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions utilizing its flexible, efficient, and intelligent global network. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 450,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards, and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures. Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered largely incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate in the U.S. from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and kindness. Support the St. Jude mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its YouTube channel.