Two brothers, Ralph L. Saroyan ’64, RPh and Stanley V. Saroyan ’61, RPh, both graduates of the fledgling pharmacy school at University of the Pacific, dreamed of opening their own pharmacy in Fresno County. One phone call and a conversation at 3,500 feet changed everything.

In 1970, Dean Ivan W. Rowland, PhD called Ralph Saroyan at the pharmacy where he was working in Fresno. As a student, Saroyan had been an active leader in the Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity and a founding member of the Beta Omega chapter of the Rho Chi honor society. Dean Rowland had recognized something special in him — drive, ambition and, most importantly, the ability to form meaningful connections. The call came with a job offer and a bold challenge: to develop a preceptor‑intern program that would help reshape the school’s curriculum.

Dean Rowland’s audacious plan to utilize the newly constructed Edward and Alice Long Memorial Hall was to transition the bachelor of pharmacy program from four years to three. Establishing a preceptor-intern program was key. By integrating internships into the curriculum, students could complete the hours required for licensure. Saroyan was intrigued by the opportunity but was reluctant to accept as he and his older brother were actively seeking to purchase an independent pharmacy.

Out of respect for his mentor, Saroyan chose not to decline over the phone. Both brothers had their pilot’s licenses and flew to Stockton that weekend. On the return flight, they discussed the job offer. Saroyan recalls his brother saying, “Ralph, that job was made for you and you’d be a fool not to take it.” That conversation freed him from their planned partnership and set into motion a career that has impacted thousands of pharmacists.

Saroyan returned to his alma mater in August 1970 as director of pharmacy student guidance and was immediately tasked with securing preceptors and placing 55 students in internship sites by May 1971. That challenge launched his 32-year career on the pharmacy faculty where he served until his retirement in 2002. He continues to remain actively engaged with the Pacific community.

This March, Saroyan will receive the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Bowl of Hygeia award in recognition of decades of community involvement and exceptional dedication to elevating the pharmacy profession. In addition to serving as national grand president of Phi Delta Chi for a record eight-plus years and president of CPhA in 2002, he was a member of Rotary Club of Stockton from 1978 until 2022.

“I’ve been blessed by everyone who has come into my life,” Saroyan said. “I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to develop the school’s first student affairs office, develop the pre-pharmacy advantage program, help implement the nation’s first three-year accelerated pharmacy program and be the architect of one of the nation’s first pharmacy school-based experiential programs.”

Saroyan’s approach to leadership is guided by the principle of empowering others rather than simply delegating.

“Ralph has always focused first on the person in front of him — listening deeply, connecting authentically and uplifting others in quiet yet profound ways,” said Michael Conner ’12, PharmD, Global MBA, who served as CPhA president in 2023. “Much of the leader, servant and community advocate I am today was formed through his early example of true professional stewardship. He opened doors, but he also taught me how to walk through them with purpose.”