Kinray CEO Stewart Rahr Donates $50,000 to
Long Island University’s Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Two elevators dedicated in his honor at July 28th ribbon-cutting ceremony at the
Brooklyn Campus’ Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Philanthropist and pharmaceutical distribution executive Stewart Rahr has donated $50,000 to Long Island University’s Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. In recognition of his generosity, the College, which is located at the University’s Brooklyn Campus, dedicated two elevators in his honor at the Campus’ Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

Mr. Rahr, president and chief executive officer of Kinray, a Whitestone, Queens-based pharmaceutical distributing company, was on hand at the July 28th ribbon-cutting ceremony for the elevators that now bear his name. “Pharmacy has been my whole life, and I feel a kinship with this University,” he told the administrators, alumni and students in attendance. “I am blessed to be able to give back.”

Gale Stevens Haynes, provost of the Campus, believes that the Center is an ideal place for a tribute to Mr. Rahr. “The Center, which provides critical health services to the community and offers hands-on learning opportunities for students in the health professions, is a perfect fit for someone as community-minded as Mr. Rahr,” she said. “His lifelong commitment to philanthropy is an inspiration, and we are grateful for his support for our students.”

University President David J. Steinberg also expressed his gratitude for Mr. Rahr’s generosity, noting the bond between the philanthropist and the students who will be empowered by his gift. “By supporting the academic goals of the next generation of pharmacists, he has made a significant contribution to his industry and to the overall health care landscape,” Dr. Steinberg declared. “Mr. Rahr has lived the American dream, and he is now making it possible for others to go forth and realize their dreams.”

A self-made man, Mr. Rahr built Kinray, Inc., from a family pharmacy with only five employees into the largest privately held distributor of pharmaceutical, generic, health and beauty, and home health care products in the world with more than 1,000 employees and an annual revenue of approximately $5 billion.

Mr. Rahr lends his time, talents and resources to a wide range of charitable organizations including The Alzheimer's Association, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Breast Cancer Society, The Rainforest Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and several that were founded in response to the September 11th tragedy.

Posted: August 3, 2009