Why is it important/what motivates you to give back to the College of Pharmacy?
Purdue has been very important in my life. My family originally came to West Lafayette when my father joined the faculty. After my father's death between my freshman and sophomore years of college, my mother started working for Purdue. Thus my family's income and all my education came courtesy of Purdue. I received scholarships to make it possible for me to go to Purdue, so I feel an obligation to share what I have saved with upcoming Purdue Pharmacy students. Someone helped me (with time, money, facilities and knowledge), and now it's my turn to help someone else. I believe we should share our success.
You have made a planned gift. Why did you decide to use this specific vehicle (will, annuity, CRT, etc.) to make a gift?
I support Purdue with annual gifts, but by making a planned gift I can contribute a larger amount after my death when I won't need it any more.
What was your experience at Purdue as a student? Any particularly fond/humorous memories of your days at Purdue?
I had a great time as an undergraduate and made many life-long friends. There were only about ten women students in my class, so we became close friends. We were in the old building with only one stairwell for coming up and down. It made a mad rush between classes as students tried to get in and out of the large lecture room on the third floor. Dr. Cwalina believed in promptness and was always angry when we were late for class from a previous class in the "new" Life Sciences (now Lilly) building. He would walk briskly across campus and time his walk from Pharmacy to Life Sciences. He assured us we could easily make this in 10 minutes and thus should never be late for class. Of course, he never accounted for the time it took to get out of the classroom and down the crowded stairs. I also developed my love of Purdue basketball while a student and am pleased to continue that to this day by holding season tickets for both men's and women's basketball.
How has your pharmacy education shaped your life/career?
Pharmacy gave me an opportunity to help others in a health field. I was able to do several different jobs with my degree - community and hospital pharmacist as well as pharmacy educator.
How do you hope your planned gift will impact the College of Pharmacy and its students in the future?
I hope my scholarship will help students lighten their very heavy financial load.