University of Utah College of Pharmacy today dedicated the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Institute. The Dean of the school, Dr. Chris Ireland, says the 150-thousand square foot expansion honors Sam Skaggs by striving to be the top pharmacy school in the nation.
“My message is really a very simple one and that’s that without Sam’s vision and Sam’s generosity, says Ireland, the College of Pharmacy at the University of Utah as we know it today, would not exist.” Utah Senator Evan Vickers of Cedar City is a graduate of the U’s School of Pharmacy. He recalled a lesson his father taught him.
“I feel personally that I had a tremendous responsibility because my family is so tied to this profession that we need to leave it better than we found it, Vickers says, this facility goes light years into that category.”
Sam Skaggs passed away in Salt Lake City less than a month ago at age 89. He built a huge network of stores from a small group he inherited from his grandfather. In 1964 he donated $20 million dollars to help build the first dedicated College of Pharmacy building at the U. Today ALSAM Foundation is the charitable organization of the Skaggs Family. ALSAM donated $50 million dollars for the expansion. It was an emotional day for Claudia Skaggs Luttrell. She is a board member of ALSAM and Sam Skaggs’ daughter.
“It’s bitter sweet but it makes me really proud because he’s so, he loves pharmacy, says Luttrell. It was his life-long goal to bring new medicines to life.”
The new institute is located on campus directly south of the original Skaggs Senior Hall.
