Fond Memories of UB

Linda Edelman, BS ’66, PharmD, knew from an early age that she wanted to be a pharmacist. Her father, Sam Edelman, graduated from the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1925 and opened a drugstore on Seneca Street in South Buffalo. When Linda was 10 years old and her sister, Sue, 12, their mother died and the girls spent most of their free time with their father at his store.

In 1966, Linda followed in her father’s footsteps, earning her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy at UB, after which she worked at Prichard’s Pharmacy on High Street for a short time before moving to California, where she lived until her death in 2016. In gratitude for the education she received at UB, Linda left a bequest that provides a generous, unrestricted endowment to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“Her years at UB were happy times,” her sister, Sue, recalls. “She lived at home, and her friends would come over, study in groups and sometimes be there all night.”

Sam’s mother and three of his siblings lived in Southern California, so Linda was surrounded by family, set down roots and earned a PharmD at the University of Southern California in 1985. She worked for many years at Pomona Memorial Hospital, preferring hospital work over retail. In her free time, she enjoyed skiing with friends, participating in a stock club and taking excursions to Las Vegas.

“Linda loved being a pharmacist,” Sue says. “She was a very quiet, determined person, and even though she worked hard, saved a lot and had a talent for investing, she lived an unpretentious life.”

“Unrestricted gifts such as the one made by Dr. Edelman are compounded in their value by the flexibility with which they allow us to address both short- and long-term needs of the school—whether they be for such things as faculty recruitment, scholarships or research,” says James M. O’Donnell, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “We are very grateful to Dr. Edelman for her generous gift and for the positive, lasting impact it will have on our programs.” 

By S.A. Unger