Eugene Applebaum
PHARMACY
Eugene Applebaum was a beloved community leader, mentor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Applebaum was passionate about the rebirth in Detroit and developing health care education for future generations in Detroit. In 1998, he gave a gift of $5 million to begin construction of a new home for Wayne State's College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. At that time, the gift was the largest contribution in the university's history and served as a catalyst for others to emulate.
In addition to his lead gift to help build what is now the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Applebaum led the university's overall capital campaign in 2000 to provide top-quality, state-of-the-art educational experiences for students and research opportunities for faculty and scientists. This included $11.1 million in private funding from his friends and associates and $48 million in state funding.
A lifelong resident of Detroit, Applebaum was born in 1936, son to European immigrants Minnie and Joseph Applebaum. Instilled at a young age with the importance of hard work and responsibility, he started working at age 12 as the fountain and stock boy at the old Fox Drugs at Broadstreet and Elmhurst.
By the age of 27, Applebaum had opened his own drugstore, and at age 62 he sold the chain of over 200 Arbor Drugs businesses he had built to CVS. Then, with the opportunity to continue his philanthropy full-time, Applebaum dedicated his efforts to strengthening Detroit with his alma mater, Wayne State University, as a pivotal focus.