Gloria F. Francke
BS, Pharmacy, Purdue University, 1942
PharmD, University of Cincinnati, 1971
Honorary Doctorate, Purdue, 1988
Retired, American Pharmaceutical Association
Gloria Francke received her BS in Pharmacy from Purdue University and began both her graduate studies at Purdue and a position as an instructor for one year. She then practiced pharmacy in Dillsboro, Indiana, for a year, followed by a two-year position as assistant to the chief pharmacist, University of Michigan Hospital, Ann Arbor. Shortly thereafter, she accepted a position with the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and subsequently held various appointments including executive secretary, research associate, associate editor of the American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, and acting director of the Department of Communications.
In 1967, Dr. Francke concurrently became clinical pharmacy coordinator, Veterans Administration Hospital, and assistant professor of clinical pharmacy, University of Cincinnati. During this time, she also earned a PharmD from Cincinnati. In 1971, her career took her to the Alcohol and Drug Dependence Service of the Veterans Administration, Washington, DC, where she served as Chicago, Program Evaluation Branch, until 1975 when she became director of the Pharmacy Intelligence Center with the American Pharmaceutical Association. During her tenure with the American Pharmaceutical Association, she served as staff liaison for APhA's task force on women in pharmacy (1980-81) and also served as chairperson of the Advisory Group to the Office of Women's Affairs at APhA. She retired from the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1986.
Dr. Francke has served in a number of other capacities, including executive secretary of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy, member of the Subcommittee on Drug Information, Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, associate editor of The Bond, the official publication of Kappa Epsilon, a national pharmaceutical fraternity for women, and others. She was a member of a large number of professional associations including the American Institute of History of Pharmacy, American Pharmaceutical Association American Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Kappa Epsilon, Rho Chi, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (former Fellow) International Pharmaceutical Federation, and The New York Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Francke has received commendations from the Veterans Administration and the Office for Drug Abuse Prevention in recognition of her many contributions to drug treatment programs In 1953, she received the Harvey A.K. Whitney Award of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. She has also been honored by the Texas Society of Hospital Pharmacists and received a Distinguished Alumnae Award from Purdue University in 1985. Her many years of service to the profession of pharmacy were recognized in 1987 when she was the first woman awarded the Joseph P. Remington Medal, the highest award that can be bestowed upon a pharmacist. In 1988, Dr. Francke was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Purdue. Gloria passed away in 2008.
Don M. Newman
BS, Pharmacy, Purdue University, 1947
MSBA, Indiana University, South Bend 1972
JD, Georgetown University, 1979
MBA, Indiana University, South Bend 1989
Honorary Doctrate, Purdue, 1987
Former Undersecretary of Health and Human Services
Dr. Don Newman was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the South Bend area as the son of a pharmacist. Don enrolled in the School of Pharmacy at Purdue University in 1941 where he participated on the football and track teams, setting a pole vault record in 1942. In April 1943, Don joined the Army Air Corps and became a B-17 Bomber Pilot Instructor in Columbus, Ohio. While in Columbus, he met and married Columbus native, Mary Louise. After two quarters at The Ohio State University, and the birth of their first of two girls, Don and Mary returned to West Lafayette to finish his pharmacy degree. After graduation, Don returned to the family drug store in South Bend and eight years later, he opened Newman's Pharmacy in Mishawaka, Indiana.
In 1957, Dr. Newman purchased a Howard DGA 15-P airplane and in 1959 he co-founded the Mishawaka Pilots Club and became the club's director. Very active in the community, Don ran for and was elected to a seat on the Penn-Harris-Madison School Board. This sparked his interest in politics and in 1973 he was appointed to the position of Director of the Washington Office of the Governor of Indiana.
After months of flying from his job in Washington to South Bend, Don sold the pharmacy and moved to Washington D.C. to concentrate on politics. In the role of Director of the Washington Office of the Governor, Don lobbied Congress, agencies, the White House, and was even involved with the Supreme Court. In 1979, following a long series of night classes, he received a law degree from Georgetown University.
In 1985, under the Reagan administration, Dr. Newman was appointed to the position of Under Secretary to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. His duties included Chief Operating Officer and Liaison to the Secretary of Health, the President, and Congress. Through his many meetings in the Oval Office, Dr. Newman formed a relationship with the then Vice President George Bush. In 1990, President Bush appointed him to the position of U.S. Minister to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). During his tenure at the ICAO, he served as an expert witness before House Aviation Subcommittee investigations and also played an instrumental part in banning smoking on international flights. At the conclusion of his term at ICAO in 1994, Dr. Newman joined the Washington D.C. law firm of Barrett and Schuler as Counselor. Soon thereafter, he accepted a position as a staff pharmacist and administrative officer with Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, North Carolina.
The diverse accomplishments of Dr. Newman have been recognized by many respected organizations. His list of awards include the IPA Bowl of Hygia Award, APhA's Hubert Humphrey Award, the NARD Dargavel Medal, Honorary doctorates from both Purdue and Long Island University, and the Outstanding Pharmacist/Lawyer Award by the American Pharmacy Law Association
In 1997, Don retired to Bellair, Florida, where he and his wife, Ginger, contribute their time and energies as volunteers each Thursday at the Clearwater Free Clinic. He has two daughters, Barbara - a pharmacist and graduate of Purdue, and Kathryn. He has four grandchildren, Mollie, Katie, Matthew, and Brittany.
Jon E. Sprague
Ph.D., Purdue, 1994
Dean, Ohio Northern University
Dr. Jon E. Sprague is Dean and Professor of Pharmacology at the Raabe College of Pharmacy, Ohio Northern University (ONU). Before returning as Dean, he was Chair and Professor of Pharmacology at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia Tech University. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Purdue University in 1994, and his first faculty position was held at Purdue. He then taught for nine years at Ohio Northern University before he went to Virginia Tech.
Watching faculty and students grow professionally is Jon's favorite part of working with faculty and students, and that includes a lot of students despite the college being classified as "small." The pharmacy program at ONU is 123 years old, has over 5000 alumni, and is the 10th largest College of Pharmacy nationally. Although the overall enrollment of ONU is only 3600 students, the College of Pharmacy accounts for 1090 of the total enrollment. Jon's research interests include studying the hyperthermic mechanisms of the substituted amphetamines, namely 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy), and he views his research as an extension of his teaching. Working with students in the laboratory and assisting them in developing their scientific skills is extremely rewarding, he says.
"The reciprocity of teaching and learning from one another is an optimal venue for growth, and I often tell students to find good role models and emulate them." And Jon says he certainly has had some positive role models during his days as a student. "From a scientific standpoint, I've been profoundly impacted by Dave Nichols, my mentor at Purdue. He meets and continues to exceed the expectations of a mentor, even now as a colleague and friend." Being a part of the process as students learn and develop professionally, Jon says, is rewarding and often the role of mentor changes to friend and colleague over time.
He continues that his enthusiasm for teaching was inspired by Nick Popovich. "Interestingly, Nick was in the practice department when I was a graduate student in the pharmacology department at Purdue. Typically, there would not be much interaction between a graduate student in pharmacology and a faculty member in pharmacy practice. However, we both shared a passion for teaching that naturally developed into a friendship. Additionally, George Spratto, former Associate Dean at Purdue, gave me my first teaching opportunity and much guidance to develop my teaching skills."
Aside from impressing the importance of a mentor, he advises his students to be focused and driven toward success. "Pharmacy education can be difficult, but having a strong sense of commitment to the profession and prioritizing study time is essential. Hard work, dedication, and volunteering are necessary for professionalism."
"I feel fortunate to have worked with so many individuals who have contributed to my growth professionally," he says. "In my role as Dean, I hope to have the same opportunity to assist others in achieving their goals."
Michael B. McMains
BS Pharm, Purdue, 1981
Attorney at law
Mike McMains graduated from Purdue University in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy. The grandson of Indiana farmers and the son of a Monon Railroad clerk and telegrapher, Mike was the first in his family to attend college when he entered Purdue in the fall of 1975. "Looking back on life-defining moments, it is fair to say that attending Purdue University changed the course of my life, the lives of my children, and the lives of my children's children," says Mike.
Mike's career path has been anything but typical. Armed with a pharmacy degree, Mike had a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry before entering law school in his early 30s. He later founded McMains LaPointe, Indianapolis, one of Indiana's most successful law firms focused on healthcare, pharmaceutical and emerging healthcare/life science technology.
Persistence Pays Off
With his parents' enthusiastic encouragement, Mike enrolled at Purdue as a chemistry major and later applied to the School of Pharmacy. A member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, the Freshman Council, and University Senate, Mike committed up to 30 hours a week to extracurricular activities. The School denied him admission because his "B" average was below their threshold for transferring students. Not easily deterred, Mike met with the deans, explained his academic and leadership aspirations, and gained admission.
"My years at Purdue challenged me to strive for professional and academic excellence, and through extracurricular activities I learned the value of discipline and character both in myself and in others," comments Mike.
At Purdue, Mike went on to preside over the Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill, and he played a leadership role at the Farmhouse Fraternity. He began a chemical research internship with Eli Lilly and Company. It was at this time that Mike began a job of another sort, that of husband, when he and his childhood sweetheart, Cheryl Meyer, a Purdue nursing student, married. They lived in Purdue married student housing while he finished pharmacy school.
Following graduation, Mike began his career with Eli Lilly and Company as a pharmaceutical sales rep selling antibiotics, insulin, and cardiovascular medications to doctors, pharmacists, and hospitals in the Lafayette area. Over the years, he held a variety of positions in medical and regulatory affairs, international market research, and domestic marketing studies.
A lover of learning, Mike always wanted to return to school for an advanced degree, but frequent transfers with Eli Lilly made that dream difficult to realize. Then, in his early 30s, Mike was on a flight from San Francisco to Indianapolis and picked up a business magazine to pass the time. He read an article about the secret to a happy life and took the message to heart. He thought hard: if he had the time, energy, and money, what would he do? He wrote down the answer on a piece of paper and put it in his wallet, where it remains today: he would go to law school.
With two children and one on the way, Mike and his wife, Cheryl, decided that Mike would take a leave of absence from Eli Lilly to concentrate on his studies. Mike applied to Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis where once again he was denied admission. This would come as a blow to some, but not to Mike. He sat outside the dean's office until she left for the day and engaged her in a conversation about why he should be admitted to law school. He continued to remind her every two weeks for months and was admitted the next year.
The dean would not regret her decision. At Indiana University School of Law Mike flourished. He was executive editor of the Indiana International Law Review, was elected student body president, received the Most Outstanding Senior Service Award, and delivered the graduation commencement address. He received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, in 1993.
Giving Back
During law school, Mike clerked at a law firm and found that he enjoyed the environment. He made the difficult decision not to return to Eli Lilly and ventured onto a new path of practicing health, pharmacy, and business law for Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. Mike's practice filled quickly because of his many contacts in the pharmacy and physician communities.
Soon, Mike founded his own firm and the firm flourished. Over the years he also founded or has been a part of the formation of seven other start-up companies. He continues to hold an equity interest in five of them. These businesses range from pharmaceutical, medical device, and commercial real estate businesses to a company that owns wireless frequency FCC licenses across the country.
Mike decided to pass his love of learning onto others and began teaching. He serves as a non-paid adjunct professor of law at Butler University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where he teaches in the doctor of pharmacy program. He also just completed his 11th year as an adjunct professor of law at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, where he received the Outstanding Law Professor Award in 1998 and 1999.
Additionally, he is an affiliate assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice at Purdue University, for which he doesn't accept payment. As part of that program, he invites different senior pharmacy students to spend a month at his law firm allowing them to experience what it is like to practice in the area of health, food, and drug law.
Mike serves as a member of the Dean's Advisory Council, he has participated in the Dean's Executive Forum and presented a keynote address at the White Coat Ceremony wherein Purdue's pharmacy students are inducted into the profession, according to John Pezzuto, former dean of the School of Pharmacy. "Mike has been a good friend and colleague, and a highly valued member of the Purdue family. We are very proud of his many accomplishments since the time he graduated with his pharmacy degree."
"I call on Mike a great deal for his advice and his legal opinions regarding advancing the profession," says Steve Abel, Bucke Professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Purdue University. "But what I enjoy most is seeing how he interacts with his students. He is very candid and tells them about the bumps in the road he has encountered. For someone so accomplished, Mike is very down to earth, and the students really respect him for that."
When teaching, Mike uses many of the same techniques he learned from his favorite professor at Purdue, Frank Murphy, an instructor in pharmacy communications. Mike fondly remembers how Frank stressed the importance of never giving up. Every year on Mike's birthday, he received a letter from Frank, right up to the year Frank died. Mike has kept them all.
In that spirit, Mike is a life member of the Purdue Alumni Association, a member of the Purdue University President's Council, and a member of the John Purdue Club. Mike also serves on the Pharmacy Campaign Cabinet for Purdue. Mike and his wife have endowed an annual scholarship for a Purdue nursing or pharmacy student.
Professionally, Mike is a member of the National Health Lawyers Association, the Indiana Pharmacists Alliance, the American Society for Pharmacy Law, the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the Indiana Bar Association. He has published a number of articles in the Journal of the Indiana Pharmacists Association as well as other publications. He also is Vice President of the Indiana Leadership Forum and President of Indian Creek Elementary School PFO.
The Tradition Continues
With two Purdue graduates in the family (Cheryl received her associate's degree in nursing and a bachelor's degree in community health), where else would the three McMains children go to school? Son Craig is a senior at Purdue, majoring in pre-med. Daughter Kelly is in the School of Nursing and daughter Kristi, a junior at Cathedral High School, Indianapolis, is planning to attend Purdue in a few years.