“We always knew our family was going to make a gift to the University of Washington School of Pharmacy,” said Cheri Ryan. “My Aunt Bette and Uncle Bryan always talked about this gift. It was so important to both of them to give back to his school.”
Bryan and Bette Wallace’s gift is one of the largest in the history of the UW School of Pharmacy and will bolster the School of Pharmacy and support student pharmacists. “It’s hard to overstate the powerful impact the generous gift from the Wallaces will have on our students,” said UWOSP Dean Sean D. Sullivan. “One of my top priorities has been to attract and retain students who epitomize the intellect, innovation, and heart for which the UW School of Pharmacy has always been known.”
Bryan Walker Wallace was born on February 10, 1916, ten miles south of Cornell, Washington. He graduated from Cornell High School in 1934, moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. He graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy on June 10, 1939, and became board certified by the State of Washington within days. Bryan’s pharmaceutical career began with the Walgreen Drug Company, working his first three years in Everett, Washington, followed by stints in Sacramento and Los Altos, California; Klamath Falls, Oregon; Redwood City, and again Los Altos, California.
I speak for everyone when I say how touched we are at this extremely generous $2 million gift from Bryan and Bette Wallace. Their transformational gift will have a profound effect on the School of Pharmacy for generations to come.
His wife, Elizabeth (Bette) Ruth (Stadler), was born on April 23, 1924 in Taylor Creek, Montana. Her family moved to Alderwood Manor, Washington in 1928. She graduated from Edmonds High School in 1942. Between 1942 and 1949 she worked as a civilian for the United States Army in Seattle, Alaska, and Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after her return to the States she met Bryan and they were married on June 24, 1950, in San Francisco, California. In 1953, he worked for Bartell Drug in Seattle before moving to Mountain View, California in 1954 where he and Bette opened their own drug store, Bryan’s Drug. Bette worked in the drug store with Bryan. In 1956, they purchased an additional store in Morgan Hill, California. They lived most their married life in Mountain View, California. The Morgan Hill store was sold after a couple of years but the Mountain View store was open until 1974. Their patients were transferred to Los Altos Pharmacy where Bryan continued to work part-time for several years until his retirement.
After almost a fifty-year career as a pharmacist, Bryan passed away on December 28, 1989, in Mountain View, California. Just prior to Bryan’s passing Bette began working as a travel agent. She owned and managed several travel agencies that allowed her to travel the world until her retirement in the late 1990s. Bette passed away on December 4, 2016, at her home in Mountain View, California. Cheri said, “My Aunt never forgot the impact the School had on my uncle and she wanted to honor his wishes to support the School.” We are very grateful to Bryan, Bette, and their family for their generosity and deep commitment to the UWSOP.
