FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2002

CONTACT
Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE PHARMACY COLLEGE RECEIVES $500,000 GIFT

Dick and Brenda Hartig of Dubuque, Iowa, have made a $500,000 gift to the Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The gift will be used to endow the Hartig Pharmacy Fund, which will support a distinguished professor award, faculty development and student scholarships.

The Hartigs operate America's second oldest family drug chain, Hartig/USA Drug, which was founded in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1904 by Albert J. Hartig, a pharmacist and Dick Hartig's grandfather.

Dick Hartig, a 1973 graduate of Drake's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and a 1981 graduate of the Drake MBA program, said his family has had a long association with Drake. His father, Kenneth A. Hartig, graduated from Drake in 1940 and his brother, Bill Hartig, graduated from Drake in 1977.

"Brenda and I wanted to provide a meaningful and appropriate way not only to say thank you to Drake, but also to provide assistance to faculty and students in continuing their legacy of academic excellence," Dick Hartig said.

Stephen Hoag, dean of the Drake College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, had praise for the Hartigs' commitment to the college. "Dick and Brenda have supported students and faculty in many ways. This gift is one of the most generous we have received," he said. "We are honored that we will have the Hartig name associated with such meaningful support."

Dick Hartig entered the pharmacy business shortly before graduating from Drake when his father died suddenly in January 1973. "At the time, I was one of nine children, and the only one pursuing pharmacy," he said. "It was 'sink or swim' time and, fortunately, our family had many friends and customers pulling for us. I look back on my years at Drake as some of the best ones of my life. My education has served me well and if I can help someone become a pharmacist or assist in making their education more affordable, and they choose to practice in this area, then I feel good about having given something back to Drake and to the future of pharmacy."

Hartig Drug Stores has been serving the Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin markets since 1904. The company, headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, operates traditional drug stores and a long-term care pharmacy. Hartig Drug Stores has partnered with Finley Hospital of Dubuque and operates Finley-Hartig Homecare, a store and service organization specializing in durable medical equipment supplies and oxygen.

Drake is a private, independent university in Des Moines, Iowa, with approximately 3,250 full-time undergraduate and pharmacy students from 46 states and 50 countries.