May 20, 1999
The gift to the Kansas University Endowment Association comes from Jack E. Fincham and Gary L. Fincham, both of Lawrence, and Jan P. Fincham of Scottsdale, Ariz. The Linus W. and Martina C. Fincham Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships to deserving students in pharmacy who exhibit financial need and are in good academic standing.
"This tribute from the Fincham brothers to their parents is a wonderful gift -- both to Mr. and Mrs. Fincham and to the many students who will benefit from this generosity in years to come," Shulenburger said. "We are very grateful that Jack, Gary and Jan Fincham chose to honor their parents in a philanthropic way that will allow deserving students an opportunity for the same quality education they each enjoyed. This truly is a gift that will enrich the profession and the greater society."
Jack Fincham has served as dean of the KU School of Pharmacy since 1994. He said that he and his brothers, all of whom earned degrees in pharmacy, wanted to pay tribute to their parents with the gift.
"It was a way to honor our parents and to do so in a way that would last for all time," he said.
Jack Fincham received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy in Omaha in 1975. He was a Kellogg Pharmaceutical Clinical Scientist Fellow at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from 1980 to 1983, and he received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 1983.
He also held academic, research and administrative positions at the University of Georgia, the University of Mississippi, Samford University and Creighton University. In 1997, he received the 1997 Faculty Excellence in Pharmacy Administration Award from the National Community Pharmacists Association. He was named one of the top most influential pharmacists in the nation by the American Druggist magazine this year and is chair of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans. He is married to Melinda K. Fincham. They have two children, Derek K. Fincham and Kelcie J. Fincham.
Gary L. Fincham received his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from KU in 1967, and is a longtime supporter of KU. Gary Fincham is president and owner of Med-Equip Services and Supplies in Lawrence. He is married to Susan K. Fincham. They have two sons, Kent A. Fincham and Craig M. Fincham.
Jan P. Fincham earned his bachelor's degree in pharmacy at KU in 1970. A former pharmacist, he is a principal at Lee and Associates, a commercial realty firm, in Phoenix. He has two children, Kylie J. Fincham and Colby O. Fincham.
The gift will be administered by the KU Endowment Association, an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-management foundation for the University of Kansas. Founded in 1891, the KU Endowment Association is the oldest foundation of its type at a public university in the United States and one of the largest.
Story by Caryn Goldberg