July 28, 2003

Family's Gift To Help Educate
Future Community Pharmacists
By Art Sorrentino

For three generations, the Roth family has been dedicated to community pharmacy. Now a generous gift from the family to the University of Connecticut will help ensure that future students in the School of Pharmacy have the tools to carry on this tradition.

Robert L. McCarthy, interim dean of the School of Pharmacy, has announced a $200,000 Campaign UConn commitment from David (Buddy) '61 and Brenda Maxen '61 Roth of Hamden. Their gift is being made in honor of the family's long history in community pharmacy and in memory of David's father, Oscar Roth, a pharmacist for more than 50 years until his death in 1985, and a past supreme directorum of the AZO Pharmaceutical Fraternity.

David Roth has successfully operated a retail and long-term care pharmacy for 32 years. After selling the long-term care division in 1996, he and his son, Richard, devoted their energies exclusively to retail pharmacy. In May of this year, Roth sold the Apex Pharmacy and Home Care Center in Hamden to his son and Richard Carbray '75.

An architect's rendering of the new Pharmacy Building. In recognition of a recent gift from the Roth family, interim Dean Robert McCarthy will recommend that a classroom in the new building be named for Oscar Roth. Rendering by Davis Brody Bond LLP, Architects

"I started working for my father when I was eight or nine years old and I'm proud to say that my family has been involved in community pharmacy for more than 70 years," says Roth. "The gift is really payback. I came to UConn to earn my degree and have grown up in this profession here in the state. I have also been fortunate enough in my business to be able to donate to a number of worthy causes, of which UConn is certainly one."

The School of Pharmacy is currently in the midst of a $5 million comprehensive campaign, "Building a Future for Pharmacy Together," which is part of the University's $300 million Campaign UConn. This fund-raising effort seeks increased support for faculty, students, and programs to advance the School of Pharmacy among nationally recognized leaders in research and education.

"The Roth family's support is simply tremendous," says McCarthy. "This gift sets the standard among community pharmacies in the state and points out the importance of strong bonds between educators and practitioners in order for our profession to thrive."

A new building for the School of Pharmacy is currently under construction on the Storrs campus and is anticipated to be complete by 2005. Consistent with the campaign's gift guidelines, McCarthy will recommend that a classroom in the new building be named for Oscar Roth.