$230,000 In Gifts From UB Alumnus Endows Scholarships For UB School of Pharmacy Largest Gift From An Individual In The School's History

By Arthur Page

Release Date: February 9, 1994 This content is archived.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Two recent gifts of Walgreen Co. common stock from Mr. and Mrs. Cecil J. Newton of Bradenton, Fla., have been received by the School of Pharmacy at the University at Buffalo to permanently endow The Cecil J. and Violet W. Newton Scholarship Fund.

In addition to a gift of 3,000 shares announced several months ago, Mr. and Mrs. Newton have made a second gift of another 3,000 shares. Combined, the two gifts total slightly more than $230,000 and are the largest gift ever received by the school from an individual.

They will provide vitally needed resources for future pharmacy students, according to David J. Triggle, dean of the School of Pharmacy, which has had a long-standing distinguished reputation for teaching and research, and is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top pharmacy schools.

Initially, Triggle added, 10 scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded annually to undergraduate pharmacy students on the basis of need and merit.

The Newtons explained that their primary reason for making the gifts was in gratitude for the outstanding education and training Mr. Newton received at Buffalo that lead to his successful business and professional career.

A 1928 graduate of the university's School of Pharmacy, he was with the Walgreen Co. as a pharmacist and store manager from 1933-78, except from 1941-45 when he served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific and Korean theaters of action. He retired from the army with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The Walgreen Co., which operates 1,836 stores throughout the nation, recently announced plans to open seven stores in the Buffalo area within the coming year.

The UB pharmacy school was cited in 1993 by U.S. News & World Report magazine as the sixth best in the nation based upon a survey of faculty and deans of more than 70 pharmacy schools. UB was the only pharmacy school in the Northeast ranked in the top 15.