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History Buff?
I remember an interview with a Baltimore resident who had restored a ‘ghost sign’ on the side of an historic brick building in Fells Point. These faded murals served as billboards for a variety of products, businesses, and causes. The person mentioned the “Vote Against Prohibition” sign and spoke of himself as a “history buff.”
Who are we at AIHP? We count among our members people who are trained historians, with history pedigrees. I have heard faculty members refer to themselves as history ‘hobbyists,’ but I would argue they are so much more by the very fact that they have conducted research to present on historical topics and interact with students.
Are we history buffs? In general, a ‘buff’ is an enthusiast of a particular area of interest like history. Do you enjoy documentaries? Do you visit historical sites or serve on a museum board? Do you collect artifacts for your personal enjoyment and continue to shop for them? Do you read biographies about historical figures? Do you find yourself reminiscing about events, customs, or traditions that link to your generation? Are you a member of an organization which was founded more than 100 years ago? Have you explored your family in Ancestry? You may be a history buff.
For AIHP, this shared interest in the experiences of the past which inform the future aligns with our activities at the Institute. Programming, publications, and collections are core pillars. We also recognize and honor people through our awards program. We support outward-facing connections with other organizations through JCPP, APhA, AACP, and others.
Together we learn about and experience inspired leadership, uncommon commitment, and dynamic innovation in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. There is so much more to do to preserve and share history through digitization and to broaden history’s artifacts and timelines to include heritage, culture, society, stories, and traditions. We may be history buffs, but we are so much more!
