SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island community dedicated its Kingston campus College of Pharmacy building to alumnus Paramaz Avedisian, ’54, whose lifetime represented a legacy of professionalism in pharmacy and philanthropy in the community.
The dedication followed a $5 million gift from Edward Avedisian, brother of the late Paramaz. But Edward asked that his brother’s philanthropy be remembered by URI pharmacy students for generations to come.
“Paramaz’s philosophy was, ‘If you can’t be an advocate for the patient, why be a pharmacist?’ ” Ed Avedisian recalled. “It is this spirit of helpfulness that we want this hall to embody. I want students who walk through the door to have a direct connection to him.”
Paramaz Avedisian was known not only for his advocacy for patients but also for his charity, borne from the help he received to continue his studies at URI in the 1950s.
His father passed away while he was in college, leaving Paramaz Avedisian unable to pay for his studies. On the verge of dropping out, he received a gift he would never forget from Tom Simpson, then owner of Simpson’s Pharmacy in Pawtucket, where Paramaz Avedisian worked at the time. Simpson took him under his wing, and paid for the remainder of his tuition.
Paramaz Avedisian wasted no time paying that gift forward, regularly tutoring a legally deaf classmate who was having difficulty in class. Paramaz Avedisian would go on to great professional success as owner of Wheaton Pharmacy in Washington, D.C., for 30 years, and help countless other people – routinely disregarding a patient’s inability to pay, and, in the spirit of Tom Simpson, once paying for a man’s medications so his son could continue college. He always considered one of his greatest achievements to be helping his deaf classmate graduate.
Edward Avedisian’s gift will help fund a variety of projects in the College of Pharmacy, all working toward the goal of carrying on Paramaz Avedisian’s legacy through education and innovation, according to College of Pharmacy Dean Paul Larrat. Part of the gift will go toward a new Paramaz Avedisian ’54 Endowed Chair in Medicinal Organic Chemistry.
“Edward’s gift will have far-reaching effects on our students and faculty,” URI President David M. Dooley said. “We will be better positioned to improve education and research at the College of Pharmacy for generations of students, all while keeping the memory of Paramaz – his scholarship and humanitarianism – at the forefront of our minds.”
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@pbn.com.
