Alumnus leaves UA $2.3M for pharmacy college endowment

A UA graduate and longtime pharmacist committed $2.3 million before his death to the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy to create an endowment.

John A. “Andy” Ware, who died March 6 at the age of 77, made the estate gift commitment to establish the John A. and Frances P. Ware Endowment, the University of Arizona announced recently.

The endowment will provide for the college’s most pressing needs in the years to come, the UA said.

Ware, who grew up in Southern California, was inspired to become a pharmacist by a family friend who owned a community drugstore. While pursuing a degree at the UA, he was a member of Phi Delta Chi, a professional organization whose core philosophy comprises service, leadership and brotherhood, the UA said in a news release.

Ware’s career in pharmacy spanned three decades. He worked in chain stores for 19 years before purchasing a community drugstore in California with his wife, Frances. They ran the business together while raising a family.

After Ware was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he and his wife sold the pharmacy to buy a commercial greenhouse in Florida. Twenty years later, they sold the business and retired.

“This is a meaningful way for Andy Ware to contribute to teaching and research in his profession in perpetuity,” said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the UA Foundation, in the release. “It’s moving to know an alumnus maintained his gratitude to the university throughout his life and made this generous plan in his estate.”

In 2020, the Coit College of Pharmacy selected Ware as its alumnus of the year, an award that honors alumni for their achievements, public service, advocacy for education, volunteerism and service. Due to COVID-19, the awards ceremony was postponed. Ware passed away in Boerne, Texas, on March 6, 2021.

The Arizona Alumni Association posthumously honored Ware as the college’s 2020-21 Alumnus of the Year at a celebration Nov. 4. Frances Ware and the couple’s son, Jacob, accepted the award on his behalf.

Ware’s gift helps solidify the strong reputation of the college, recently ranked No. 7 by the American Association of the Colleges of Pharmacy for grants and contracts awarded by the National Institutes of Health, said Rick Schnellmann, dean of the Coit College of Pharmacy, adding that the college is grateful for Ware’s generous gift, which will benefit many students.