In honor of her late husband, Mary Grube offers a travel grant for student pharmacists

By Katie Ginder-Vogel

In 2017, Mary Grube established the Alfred W. Grube Memorial Fund in memory of her late husband Alfred, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy in 1952 and owned and operated Grube Pharmacies, Inc. in Sheboygan for almost 50 years, and passed away in 2015 at age 87.

The Alfred W. Grube Memorial Fund, administered by the UW Foundation, provides travel grants that make it possible for UW–Madison School of Pharmacy PharmD students to attend the annual meeting of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW)—the largest professional organization in the state that provides networking, educational, and collaborative opportunities to pharmacists throughout Wisconsin.

“Alfred strongly believed in pharmacy and the organization that supports it.” –Mary Grube

“The funds donated in Alfred’s name were meant to enable young pharmacists to attend annual meetings of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and, therefore, make it more meaningful for them to become active participants now and in the future,” says Mary. “Alfred strongly believed in pharmacy and the organization that supports it.”

Alfred was a member of the PSW board of directors for six years, served as its president from 1988 to 1989, and later became chairman. He received the PSW Distinguished Service Award in 1994, and the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy’s Pharmacy Alumni Association honored him with its Alumnus of the Year Award in 1996. All of these accolades are just small pieces of the life and influential career of a pharmacy leader.

Any UW–Madison PharmD student can apply for a travel grant from the Alfred W. Grube Memorial Fund, which was founded by Mary in fall of 2017. In its inaugural year, the grant helped four students attend the annual PSW conference. In the second year, it supported six students’ attendance of the August 2018 conference in the Wisconsin Dells.

“These scholarship funds are incredibly generous and provide great opportunities for students to travel and become more involved with the profession,” says Sydney Stiener, a fourth-year PharmD student who won a 2018 travel grant. “Attendance at these conferences is not cheap, and it is these grants that make it possible for many students to attend.”

Alongside Steiner, third-year PharmD student Paige Edwards and fourth-year PharmD students Collin Dean, Ryan Simonet, Heather (Hyun Ju) Seo, and Joe Higgins were also able to attend the 2018 PSW conference through the memorial fund.

“Receiving travel funds for the PSW annual conference was very impactful on my professional development as a student and future pharmacist,” says Dean. “Having the ability to network with future colleagues and attend inspiring sessions about the direction of pharmacy practice has guided my interest in being involved within local pharmacy organizations. I’ve never left a professional conference without being excited about what the future has in store for pharmacists and pharmacy practice.”

Mary Grube says she finds such positive feedback from students heartwarming and is glad that she can help to strengthen the next generation of pharmacists.

“It makes me feel good,” she says. “Alfred would heartily approve.”

“Receiving travel funds for the PSW annual conference was very impactful on my professional development as a student and future pharmacist.” 
–Collin Dean

Stiener says she’s thankful for people like Mary Grube, who have made these opportunities possible for her and other students, and values their ongoing support of the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy.

“I personally value attending professional conferences because they reignite my excitement to be a part of the pharmacy profession,” says Stiener. “I am able to meet incredible pharmacists from all over the state and learn about new, innovative pharmacy practice initiatives. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity.”

See more photos of alumni, students, and faculty at the 2018 Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin conference.