PharmD’81 Class Reunion
It's not unusual for lasting friendships to form among U-M College of Pharmacy classmates. But few classes can top the PharmD Class of 1981 for sustained camaraderie.
“We were the first of the twoyear PharmD classes during the transition from the BSPharm curriculum to the all-PharmD program," explains Nancy Mason, BSPharm'76, PharmD'81, clinical associate professor and director of the College's Experiential Training Program. "The smallness of our class, the many wonderful clinical experiences we shared, and the excitement of being part of a new and inventive program combined to create close friendships. That closeness has persisted."
PharmD Class of 1981 members toast to friendship and great
memories during a Saturday, Oct. 20 mini-reunion in Ann Arbor.
Pictured, left to right, are: Lesbia Hernandez, Don Filibeck,
Richard Cook, Matt Johnson, Nancy Mason,
and Nancy Lewis. Hernandez is dean of the University of
Puerto Rico School of Pharmacy; Filibeck is national director of
pharmacy services, Critical Care Systems, Nashua, N.H.; Cook is
pharmacy administrator, Blue Care Network, Grand Rapids,
Mich.; Johnson is director of pharmacy services at Chelsea
Community Hospital, Chelsea, Mich.; Mason is clinical associate
professor and director of the College’s Experiential Training
Program; and Lewis is associate director and associate research
scientist at the College’s Center for Medication Use, Policy, and
Economics.
On Saturday, Oct. 20, six members of the PharmD Class of 1981 -- Mason; Nancy Lewis, PharmD'81; Richard Cook, PharmD'81; Donald Filibeck, BSPharm'79, PharmD'81; Matthew Johnson, PharmD'81; and Lesbia Hernandez, PharmD'81 -- took part in a mini-reunion in Ann Arbor. Hernandez, dean of the University of Puerto Rico School of Pharmacy, was the keynote speaker at the 2007 White Coat Ceremony, held Oct. 17 at Rackham Auditorium.
As an added bonus, four faculty well-known to the PharmD Class of 1981 -- Frank Ascione, BSPharm'69, PharmD'73, PhD; Rosemary Berardi, PharmD'68; Cary Johnson, PharmD'72; and Leslie Shimp, BSPharm'74, PharmD'76 -- joined the throng.
To help stimulate dormant memories, Lewis orchestrated an activity whereby each class member drew a question about his/her years as a Michigan Pharmacy student.
"Don recalled our class as being a fun group that got along well," recounts Lewis, associate director and associate research scientist at the College's Center for Medication Use, Policy, and Economics. "We all remembered the long hours we put into both our PharmD projects and our clinical rotations. We mostly talked about what we've done since graduation, and shared information about our kids, families, and fellow classmates who were not able to join us."
By the end of the day, the PharmD Class of 1981 was already planning its next get-together: a possible 30th reunion in Puerto Rico.
2007 Albert B. Prescott Circle Dinner, Sept. 14, Michigan
League: Robert Lipper, PhD’78, meets third-year PharmD
student Ali-Oke Oluye, the 2007 recipient of the Robert and
Nancy Lipper Scholarship. The Scholarship was established in
2005 by Bob and his wife, Nancy, both of Pennington, N.Y. The
Lipper Scholarship assists pharmacy students in good academic
standing with demonstrated financial need. Bob is vice president
of biopharmaceutics R&D at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.,
Princeton, N.J. Photo by Gregory Fox.
2007 Albert B. Prescott Circle Dinner, Sept. 14, Michigan
League: Professor Emeritus of Social and Administrative Sciences
and former College Dean Jim Richards, BSPharm’55, and
his wife, Helen, meet three new recipients of the James W.
Richards Scholarship Fund. Established in 2001 to honor
Richards’ long history of student advocacy as a teacher and
administrator, this endowed scholarship supports PharmD students
who are enrolled full-time, and who demonstrate financial
need. Meeting with the Richardses are, left to right, P-4s Robert
Schuck and Mi Ni Paek, and P-3 Georgina Cirrincione. Photo by Gregory Fox.
