Spring/Summer 2011 - Purdue College of Pharmacy - Purdue ...

Remembering Dr. Stanley L. Hem (1939-2011)
Professor of Physical Pharmacy
Hem circa 1976
Dr. Stanley Hem, Professor of Physical Pharmacy, 71, died unexpectedly on January
23, 2011. An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Hem has been an important
member of the Purdue Pharmacy Family for many decades.
“Stan Hem will be remembered for his pioneering contributions to vaccine
adjuvants, as a gifted and dedicated teacher, and for his service to Purdue as an
administrator and in faculty governance. He’s left a void in our department that will
be very difficult to fill,” comments Dr. Elizabeth Topp, Head of the Department of
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy.
Dr. Hem received his BS in pharmacy in 1961 with high honors from Rutgers
University. In 1965, he received his PhD in physical pharmacy from the University
of Connecticut.
His distinguished career at Purdue University began in 1969. He was awarded
the Henry Heine Award for Excellence in Teaching several times and was a recipient
of the Purdue University Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, earning him
a place in Purdue’s Book of Great Teachers. He was a major professor for 40 PhD
students and four MS students.
Dr. Hem was a Fellow of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a Fellow
of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and a Distinguished
Alumnus of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut. He served on
the University Senate at Purdue as Vice Chair (1997-1998) and Chair (1998-2000)
and was a member of the Selection of the President Committee (1981-1982 and
1999-2000). He also served as an advisor for the Student National Pharmaceutical
Association (1989-1993), the Student American Pharmaceutical Association
(1971-1975), and most recently the Rho
Chi Pharmacy Society (since 2003).
On receiving the Professor Henry Heine Award
multiple times, Dr. Hem once commented,
“I’ve taught ‘Basic Pharmaceutics’ since
I joined the faculty in 1969. Teaching is
continually creative and the opportunity
to work with our exceptionally talented
students makes each Fall semester
a new and stimulating experience.”
His enthusiasm will truly be missed this fall.
An avid fan of Purdue sports, Dr. Hem
would often purchase extra tickets to
basketball games to share with students.
He and his wife, Janet, would also
regularly host pot-luck dinners for
international students in hopes that
they would feel more at home in their
unfamiliar surroundings. In addition to
his wife, he is survived by their son and
daughter and two granddaughters.
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The Stanley H. Hem Pharmacy Scholarship Endowment
Dr. Hem’s dedication to his students and the profession of
pharmacy has positively influenced a generation of research
scientists as well as thousands of pharmacists in the State
of Indiana and the world, which in turn have influenced the
care of hundreds of thousands of patients.
Through a donation given to the College by a former
graduate student, an endowment fund was established in
Dr. Hem’s honor in 2009. At that time, Dr. Hem commented,
The Purdue Pharmacist
“I am very aware of how a good
education can change a person’s life.
I hope this scholarship will enable
students to gain a Purdue degree
and be equipped to help others.”