Scott Knowles Pharmacy Award honours memory of go-getter Dal grad

There are many ways to honour the memory of a loved one. Dalhousie alumnus Jeff Knowles (‘07) and his father, Stanley (‘74), mother, Jean and sister, Colleen, chose to celebrate the life of Jeff’s brother, Scott (’07), by establishing the Scott Knowles Memorial Pharmacy Award.

“I thought it would be an appropriate way to remember him so that, when I am long gone, his spirit and his generosity perpetuate,” says Jeff.

A graduate of the Dalhousie College of Pharmacy, Scott passed away unexpectedly in 2011. Scott was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 1989 and, though he faced several challenges with Crohn’s since his diagnoses, he refused to let it slow him down. He was always involved in something, whether it was the Miramichi Rock ‘n Roll Festival, the National Advisory Board for TEVA pharmaceuticals or his work as president of the New Brunswick Pharmacists Association.

“He knew that the decisions made by government affect the service you deliver as a pharmacist right at the counter,” says Jeff. “So it was important for him to participate in the association to have an impact on both regulations and the profession.”

Celebrating service to community

Jeff thinks the award, which he and his parents and sister established with support from donors such as the New Brunswick Pharmacy Association, will have a similar impact. Each year, it will offer $4,000 to a New Brunswick student graduating from the College of Pharmacy who is returning to the province to practice in a community pharmacy.

“If the award can entice pharmacists to pursue opportunities in smaller communities with independent pharmacies, it might achieve the equivalent of what Scott did, which was to go back to his hometown of Newcastle, work in the pharmacy our dad set up and ensure quality service for the community.”

Stanley, who also graduated from the College of Pharmacy, says the award recognizes the importance of Dalhousie to his son: “His years there were the best of his life. He made great friends, received a superb education and lived on campus for four years with Jeff.”

But what would Scott think of the gesture? “I’m not sure he’d want the attention that comes from having an award in his name,” concedes Jeff of his relatively modest brother. “But I think he’d be very happy with the intent behind it. I’m just hopeful that it will help everyone who knew him to remember him, and that it reflects the good person he was."

This article is part of the Dalhousie Difference series, exploring what the power of philantrophy means to the university and introducing and showcasing some of the 50 innovative projects in development. Learn more at boldambitions.dal.ca.