 | Heber W. Youngken Jr, Hon ’82.
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In Memoriam Heber W. Youngken Jr., Hon. ’82, dean emeritus of the College of Pharmacy and one of URI’s staunchest and most prominent supporters, died at his home in Peace Dale on Oct. 22. He was 88 years old.
Youngken came to URI from the University of Washington in 1956 as the first dean of the new College of Pharmacy. At that time the College had nine faculty members and enrolled 135 students. When he retired in 1981, the College’s faculty included 33 full- and 18 part-time professors and enrolled more than 600 undergraduate and graduate students. He also founded URI’s Heber W. Youngken Jr. Pharmacy Clinic that provides continuing pharmacy education.
During his years as dean, Youngken chaired the Faculty Senate, headed the Fine Arts section of the College of Arts and Sciences, and served on numerous committees. He was a founder and chair of the University Club, to which he generously donated both time and money. This fall the club’s newly redecorated dining room was named the Heber W. Youngken Room in his honor.
He also served the University as acting vice president for academic affairs and was the first university provost for health science affairs. He also served on the URI Foundation board for 17 years. On the state level he served on the Governor’s Justice Commission, the Rhode Island Cancer Control Board, the Rhode Island Health Science Education Council, and the Statewide Health Coordinating Council.
In 1994, the College of Pharmacy’s medicinal plant garden was dedicated to Youngken. This year, the Omar-Youngken Distinguished Chair in Natural Product Chemistry was created in his honor.
Nationally prominent in pharmaceutical education and research, he either chaired or served on various groups representing the American Pharmaceutical Association, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He was past president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.
Youngken authored more than 180 articles dealing with the pharmacology and chemistry of plants used as pharmaceuticals that appeared in such journals as The Herbalist and The Journal of Natural Products. He was also an author of Pharmaognosy, published by J.B. Lippincott in 1951 and reprinted in 1965, and Organic Chemistry in Pharmacy, published by J.B. Lippincott in 1949.
He was a visiting professor at the University of London in 1970 and at the University of Cairo, Egypt, in 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1985.
A captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, he served on North Atlantic convoy escort duty during World War II. He was an enthusiastic recreational sailor and golfer.
He is survived by his wife, Daphne, two sons, John Ronald Youngken of New York City and Richard Charles Youngken of South Kingstown, and two granddaughters.
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