September 6, 2016
Our condolences to the Richards family

James W. Richards, BSPharm’55, passed away September 1, 2016, after an extended illness. He was a colleague, mentor, distinguished educator and friend to faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the College and will be fondly remembered. 

Professor Richards had over 60 years of history with the College of Pharmacy: first as a student, then as a part-time faculty member, full-time faculty member, assistant dean, associate dean, interim dean, dean, associate dean again, and always as a proud U-M College of Pharmacy alumnus. He earned two degrees at the University of Michigan, a BS in Pharmacy in 1955 and MBA in 1957. He officially retired in 2001, but maintained an active role with the College as emeritus professor of social and administrative services.

Professor Richards had a prominent role in advancing the practice of pharmacy within the state of Michigan. He served in various leadership roles within the Michigan Pharmacist Association (MPA), including acting as the pharmacy representative with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, where he was on the board of directors for nearly 40 years. As recognition for his contributions to the profession, Professor Richards received the prestigious Pharmacist of the Year award from MPA.

Professor Richards was a pioneer in the study of retail pricing of pharmaceuticals. His other research and scholarly interest included organizational, management, legal, and economic issues related to pharmacy practice and third party payment and managed care programs and their impact on access, quality, and costs in the delivery of pharmaceutical care. He was a chapter author for six editions of the prestigious Remington’s Pharmaceutical Sciences and published articles in leading professional journals.

Although he made significant contributions to the pharmacy profession, Professor Richard’s most important impact was as an educator.  His combined pharmacy and business education and background made him a unique asset to the College’s teaching programs. He had a tremendous impact on the College’s professional students and programs throughout his career. He was consistently named the College of Pharmacy’s best educator.  Equally important, as Associate Dean he was known as a champion for students, demonstrating his care and compassion for them as individuals.

Professor Richards is survived by his wife Helen, daughter Sharon, son Michael, daughter-in-law Dana, and granddaughter Tiffany. Professor Richards is also survived by his brothers David and Pat, and their families.

A visitation will be held Thursday, September 8, 2016, 1:00 p.m., at Nie Funeral Home, 2400 Carpenter Road, Ann Arbor, MI. The memorial service will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the James W. Richards Scholarship Endowment Fund: pharmacy.umich.edu/richards