In Memoriam

The UW School of Pharmacy learned of the passing of a School alumnus and a major figure in the pharmacy community, George H. Bartell Jr., at press time for this E-newsletter. Read about the life and impact of Bartell in the Seattle Times or the Seattle P-I and look for an article in the next School of Pharmacy alumni publication.

David H. Palmer, ’48, passed away in Kirkland, Wash., in October 2008, after a long illness. He was born on Sept. 10, 1923, in Seattle to Harrison W. and Mary West Palmer. Dave attended John Marshall Junior High School and Roosevelt High School. He married his high school sweetheart, MaryLou Dresen Sasser, in 1942, and they recently celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary.

Dave graduated from UW School of Pharmacy on the GI Bill in 1948. He served in the Air Force during World War II flying B-17s. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross medal (for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight) for his 25 missions in Europe. During the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty flying C-54s. At the time, he had four children under the age of 10 at home.

Dave was a leader and innovator in the field of pharmacy. He came from a line of more than eight pharmacists on both sides of the family. His daughter, Donna Palmer Miles, carries on the family tradition.

Dave held a variety of positions in pharmacy. Just out of college, he was a partner in Murray Drug in Mt. Vernon, Wash. He was a sales representative for E.R. Squibb and owned Palmer Pharmacy on Beacon Hill in Seattle. He was active in many pharmacy organizations.

Nothing was more important to him than his family. He was a devoted husband and father and will be dearly missed by his surviving family members, wife MaryLou, children Donna Palmer Miles, Richard Palmer, Douglas Palmer, Dennis Palmer and Darrel Palmer, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Wayne Glen Mosby, ’54, passed away in October 2008 in Puyallup, Wash. Born May 18, 1923, in Post Falls, Idaho, his parents were Edwin Burr Mosby and Grace Bell (Maib) Mosby. In 1929, his family moved to Mabton, Wash. In 1941, Wayne joined the V-12 naval-officer-training program at UW. After his naval training and 18 months serving in the Aleutian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, he was honorably discharged in 1946.

After World War II, he studied pharmacy at the UW, and eventually owned several drug stores. In 1983, he sold the stores and developed real estate until his passing. He was a devoted Rotarian and had a lifelong strong work ethic.

He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, June of Sumner, Wash; sons Ed, Paul and Burr Mosby; daughter Todii Ann Mosby; and several grandchildren.

Lillie Leon Jones, ’60, beloved sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and aunt, died on December 16, 2007. Lillie was born in Hallettsville, Texas, on April 10, 1924 to Collier and Mary Lawson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ted, and daughter, Carole.

Lillie attended the UW School of Pharmacy and upon completion of school, she worked for many years as a pharmacist at Harborview Medical Center. She later returned to the UW to become a recruiter for the School of Pharmacy.

She and her husband, Ted, were passionate sports fans; they especially enjoyed track and field events. They traveled quite extensively to many different countries to attend the Olympic games. When they weren’t traveling abroad, you could find them at Husky Stadium attending Huskies football games.

Lillie gave freely of her heart and her time to friends and family and helping others. She was actively involved with many different organizations, including Blacks in Science/Ron McNair Camp, pharmacy associations and dance and bridge groups.

Lillie is sorely missed and will always be remembered for her hard work, generosity and kind and gentle spirit. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Vita, son-in-law, Kenneth, granddaughter, Joleyce, and great-grandson, Evan.

K Lounsbury Perrins, ’62, passed away in August 2008 in Deer Park, Wash. Born in 1928 in Albion, Idaho, K attended grade school and high school in Deer Park, graduating from Deer Park High School in 1946. He attended Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., and the UW graduating with a bachelor's of science in pharmacy. He was a pharmacist for many years with Pay ’n Save Drug Stores in Olympia and Oak Harbor, Wash., and he and his late wife, Irene, owned and operated the Clinical Pharmacy in St. George, Utah, for many years. While in Utah, K earned another bachelor’s degree in compounding pharmacy.

K was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a veteran of the United States Army, having served in Germany during the 1950s.

He was the loving father of Daniel K. Perrins of North Bend, Wash., and Pamela Perrins of Chicago.
— From The Spokesman-Review

Thomas Odegard, III passed away in November after a short, intense battle with cancer and pneumonia. Tom was born July 13, 1940, in Tacoma to Thomas Odegard Jr. and Frances Bjorklund Odegard. He grew up in the Milton-Edgewood area, attending Edgemont Elementary School and Fife High School, graduating in 1958. He graduated from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Washington and became a licensed pharmacist in Washington State in 1964.

When Tom was eleven years old, his parents purchased Milton Pharmacy. His father, ’27, was the pharmacist, and his mother was the bookkeeper. They operated the family business until 1965 when Tom had to help his parents and eldest sister, Shirley, run the store after his father suffered a serious heart attack. They continued to thrive for the next nearly twenty years. After Tom's father died in 1984, Tom's mother still worked part time and remained owner a couple more years until she sold the business to Tom. The pharmacy enjoyed success until 1990 and the arrival of chain drugstores and general economic downturn. The changing nature of retail pharmacy forced the closure of the neighborhood store in 1991.

Tom briefly worked for another independent pharmacy, but soon found better opportunity, first with Albertsons, then QFC, and finally, Costco Wholesale. As a pharmacist for forty-three years, Tom has helped thousands of people cope with their illnesses, acute and chronic, physical and emotional, and is remembered for his big smile and caring heart. He had many devoted customers who followed him to wherever he worked—one of his greatest honors. He also was extremely proud of the many interning pharmacists and technicians he mentored to become prized professionals themselves.

Tom is survived by his wife, Diane, of Auburn, his daughters, Erika and Kirsten of Seattle, his sister, Carol, brother-in-law Roland, nieces Karen and Andrea, and nephews Jeffrey and T.J.
— From The Seattle Times

Henry Yamamura

Henry “Hank” Ichiro Yamamura, ’64, died peacefully at home in September 2008 in Tucson, Ariz, at age 68. Regents Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Dr. Yamamura was internationally known with more than 500 scholarly publications and 11 books. He earned his B.S. in pharmacy from the UW School of Pharmacy in 1964. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in pharmacology at the UW School of Medicine in 1969.

From 1970 to 1973, he served as captain in the Medical Service Corps in the U.S. Army. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Yamamura served as research associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Maryland.

He first joined the University of Arizona in 1975 as associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and then the Department of Psychiatry. He was promoted to professor in 1980 and held joint appointments in several departments while also serving as a member of the Committee in Neurosciences and senior member of Arizona Research Laboratories. He joined the College of Medicine in 1990 and took his position as Regents Professor in 1997.

He ranked among the top 100 most-cited scientists in the country. Dr. Yamamura's  research led to new approaches to treating anxiety, depression, memory loss, pain and addiction. Yamamura was named the UW School of Pharmacy’s distinguished alumnus in 2004 for excellence in pharmaceutical sciences.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; and his son, Mark.

Christopher Okeke

Christopher Okeke, ‘76, passed away in October 2008 after a brief illness. He was 61. His wife and five children survived him. His second daughter, Uzo Okeke, ’07, is also a UW School of Pharmacy alumna.

After completing pharmacy school, Chris returned to his home country, Nigeria, in 1982 where he devoted his career to public service. He spent most of his pharmacy career in regulatory affairs. He was in charge of pharmacy inspection and licensing with the Ministry of Health in Anambra State, Nigeria. He also served as a member of a special task force committee on Fake and Counterfeit Drugs, where he worked closely with other law-enforcement agencies.

In 1998, he took on a special assignment as one of the project managers for Nigeria’s Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF)—a special fund that was created from the country’s oil revenue to supply free drugs and medical supplies to government institutions like hospitals, schools and correctional facilities. At the end of his PTF assignment, he became a pharmacy director for several government hospitals. He retired from government service in 2007, but continued to practice in the private sector up until his passing.

Chris was delighted when he returned to Seattle in 2007 to attend his daughter's graduation from the UW School Pharmacy. He also enjoyed having the opportunity to meet the faculty during his visit.

Michael L. Chan

Michael L. Chan, ’80, passed away in July 2008 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a clinical pharmacist at Valley Medical Center in Renton, Wash., for 21 years. According to Valley’s chief nursing officer, he was a true example of the values of teamwork, compassion and quality, and he was widely regarded for his excellent clinical and mentoring skills with a unique gift of remaining calm during frantic times. He will be missed for his temperament, clinical skills and compassion. Michael was a finalist for the University of Washington’s distinguished alumnus award in 2006.

Henry Yamamura photo courtesy UW Health Sciences Academic Services and Facilities
Christopher Okeke photo courtesy the Okeke family
Michael L. Chan photo courtesy the Chan family