News @ VCU School of Pharmacy

School of Pharmacy honors Dels. Morgan and Jones

Virginia Dels. Harvey Morgan and S. Chris Jones were honored at a School of Pharmacy-sponsored reception Aug. 18 at Paul A. Gross Conference Center.

The delegates, both of whom are School of Pharmacy alumni, were recognized for their help in securing funding for the university, specifically the $5 million allocated by the state for renovations to the R. Blackwell Smith Building. (To see renderings by Ellenzweig Associates Inc., click these links: first floor and third floor.)

School of Pharmacy Dean Victor Yanchick noted that while the Smith Building opened in 1985 – making it one of the newer buildings on the MCV Campus – “We have really, literally run out of space.”

That’s because the faculty has more than doubled since ’85, he said, and the student population has significantly increased.

The $5 million will go toward renovating the first three floors of the seven-story building. The goal, Yanchick said, is to dedicate those floors to student learning, to enhance an educational experience that didn’t exist when the Smith Building opened.

“We are extremely grateful to Harvey and Chris,” he said. Morgan, R-98^th District, graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1955. Del. Jones, R-76^th District, is an alumnus of the class of ‘82.

VCU President Eugene Trani, recently released from the hospital, dropped by to recognize the honorees.

“I just lost 15 pounds the hard way,” he said, grinning. “But I am back, and I am taking it easy.”

He thanked Jones and Morgan for their work and service which, along with the Smith Building renovations, resulted in funds for a classroom building on the Monroe Park Campus, the School of Medicine building and planning.

Trani also presented the duo a pair of unlikely gifts -- burgundy baseball caps emblazoned with the letters “MCV” -- to laughter and applause. (In his attempts to unify the two campuses, which merged in 1968, the president has discouraged the use of references to MCV or Medical College of Virginia.)

Jones, commenting on the president’s Aug. 14 decision to resign a year earlier than planned, said of Trani’s tenure, “His commitment to the university and this campus will have been second to none.”

Sheldon Retchin, vice president for health sciences, said Jones also had been a great asset to the university as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Jones is an avid basketball fan and player, Retchin said. “If you go to the MCV gym … that’s why we have signs that say, ‘No dunking allowed.’ ”

Morgan, Retchin said, has tackled a multitude of issues germane to the entire medical campus in his 29 years as a legislator.

“Both Chris and Harvey are tireless supporters,” he said. Laughing, he added, “Harvey also enjoys basketball. But he has been unable to complete the dunk.”

Pointing out that the day of the reception was also Morgan’s birthday, Retchin led attendees in a spirited rendition of “Happy Birthday to You.” As the song ended, Morgan hopped, clicking his heels.

During Smith Building renovations, which are scheduled to begin in May, the Dean’s Suite will move to McGuire Hall. “There are no more dean’s offices,” Yanchick said, smiling. “But,” he assured listeners, “they’re not eliminating the deans.”

The dean’s offices will join several School of Pharmacy faculty, staff and laboratories already in place in McGuire.

“I never was in (classes in) the Smith Building,” Jones said, “so I guess I am getting old.”

Morgan and Jones each shared a few memories. “Dr. (Eugene) White turned me down the first time I tried to get in!” Jones said.

Jones, who got his start with Standard Drug Co., advised not being afraid to think outside the envelope as the field of pharmacy changes. “My daughter Facebooked me,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s amazing what technology can do to deliver the message.”

Morgan grew up in his father’s drugstore (his father, Loran V. “Happy” Morgan, was a 1922 graduate of the school). But, Morgan said, “I was the worst clerk my daddy ever had. I wasn’t really into pharmacy.”

That changed once he graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and enrolled in the School of Pharmacy. He became so engrossed with pharmacy, he said, that he would “bore his dates to death.”

“I love this school,” he said. “This school has been my foundation. Anything I can give back, I will.”

As Yanchick, Trani, Retchin and Don Gehring, vice president for government relations, pointed out, Morgan and Jones already have given back. In relation to their work on attaining Tier 3 approval for VCU, Gehring said, “To be called a lobbyist is a very honorable thing when you work with people like Harvey and Chris.”

The only Tier 3 schools in Virginia are VCU, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary. The Tier 3 designation allows institutions more autonomy in areas such as hiring and procurement.

Agreeing with Gehring, Yanchick added, “I’d just like to say again … thanks for the first $5 million!”

Submitted By:
Cynthia McMullen
8/21/2008