Pharmacy Philanthropists

UHCOP Mading Society Welcomes Armstrong, Lewis, Putcha, and Saenzes as New Inductees

The UH College of Pharmacy Mading Society welcomed five new members into its ranks – as well as bestowed red coats honoring milestone giving to three longtime members – at the 2016 Mading Society Induction & Dinner Oct. 7 at the Belltower on 34th Street.

Roy K. Armstrong, R.Ph. (B.S. ’84), has been with Walgreens for more than 30 years and currently serves as Houston-area regional healthcare director. A member of the UHCOP Dean’s Advisory Council, Armstrong has provided support for the Health and Biomedical Sciences Building 2 campaign and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association as well as being a regular player in the annual UHCOP Scholarship Golf Tournament.

Barbara Lewis, MA, LPC, R.Ph. (’74), former UHCOP assistant dean of Student & Professional Affairs and clinical assistant professor, is currently enjoying retirement following her departure from the college in 2014 after 20 years of service. In addition to her past scholarship support for students experiencing a financial or life-event crisis, Lewis recently provided a major gift in support of the college’s Pharm.D. Student Services Office.

Mallik Putcha, M.S. (UH-Clear Lake ’00), MBA (Bauer ’79), MSEE (’79), is an independent consultant in systems engineering and husband of late alumna and NASA Chief Pharmacologist Lakshmi Putcha, Ph.D. (’81), M.S. (’75). The Putcha family has established four endowments for students in several disciplines at UH and UH-Clear Lake. In addition to the Dr. Lakshmi Putcha Endowment in Pharmaceutics, the family has created endowments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Bauer College of Business, and Software Engineering.

Jesus Saenz, R.Ph., and Elvia Saenz, R.Ph. (’74), are celebrating three decades of ownership of the Saenz Medical Pharmacy group, a chain of seven Rio Grande Valley independent pharmacies offering a range of services, including compounding and durable medical equipment. Their support for the college also Five of the seven pharmacists/pharmacy managers on staff are UHCOP alumni. The Saenzes and Elvia’s brother, Alonso Canto, also have endowed a scholarship for Pharm.D. students at the college.

The Mading Society also recognized three longtime members whose support for the college has exceeded the milestone of $100,000 in lifetime giving. In addition to their generous past support through scholarships and other areas of need within the college, this year’s "Red Coat" recipients provided the leading gifts to the college’s new home in Health and Biomedical Sciences Building 2. Manmeet and Paul Likhari have created the Likhari Pharmaceutical Research Core Laboratory, and PCCA and Chief Executive Officer David Sparks has established the PCCA Compounding & Sterile Products Laboratory.

The Mading Society was established in 1997 by UHCOP to recognize individual donors who have made gifts or bequests of $10,000 or more to the college. In 1998, membership privileges were extended to corporations and foundations that contribute $25,000 or more in cumulative gifts to the college.

The society was named in memory of Cora and Webb Mading, the first major benefactors of the college. Upon the death of Mr. Mading in 1953, the college was bequeathed $20,000 to establish an endowment for students.

For more information on Mading Society membership, please contact UHCOP Advancement Director Matt Perkins at mrperkins@uh.edu or 713-743-6545.