Longtime AIHP member Mickey Smith, PhD, RPh, has contributed $10,000 to support the recently created Gregory J. Higby Fund. AIHP’s Board created the Fund to mark the retirement of Gregory Higby after serving as the Institute’s Executive Director for more than 30 years. AIHP Board President William Zellmer thanked Dr. Smith for his extraordinary gift, stating: “Dr. Smith’s generous support of the Institute and the Higby Fund is truly appreciated and is a fitting expression of gratitude for Dr. Higby’s dedicated service to the Institute.”
Dr. Smith is the F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pharmacy Administration at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. A renowned pharmaceutical marketing expert, Prof. Smith has published more that 450 research and professional papers and written or edited 22 books. His published contributions to pharmacy history include The Rexall Story: A History of Genius and Neglect (CRC Press 2004) and A Social History of the Minor Tranquilizers: The Quest for Small Comfort in the Age of Anxiety (CRC Press 1991).
The AIHP Gregory J. Higby Fund will support the development, maintenance, and expansion of access to the Institute’s historical collections, including the Kremers Reference Files. Initially, the Fund will support Dr. Higby’s own efforts, in his new part-time role as Fischelis Scholar, to develop a comprehensive record of AIHP historical holdings and identify prospective accessions. Longer term, the Fund will be used to foster archival best practices within the field of pharmacy history, working with pharmacy organizations and museums, colleges and schools of pharmacy, and other institutions.
Since the kick-off of the campaign for contributions to the Funds, AIHP members and supporters have contributed more than $31,000. President Zellmer urged members who have not yet contributed to do so soon. Contributions to the Fund, payable to AIHP, should be mailed to the Institute’s office.
The American Institute of the History of Pharmacy is documenting and preserving pharmacy stories and experiences during the COVID-19 global pandemic for the benefit of future historians and scholars. We seek to record the effects of this public health emergency on all types of pharmacy experiences. We invite you to share your pharmacy stories, photos, videos, artifacts, and other documentation of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.