In Service to Others All of us are influenced by the events and experiences in our lives. When we received an email about an alumnus of ours, we decided to share his unique story, which captures this essence.
Herbert Friedman
Herbert Friedman, BSP ’50, was born in Vienna, Austria, in December 1924. In 1938, with the threat of war looming and being of Jewish heritage, he escaped from Vienna at the age of 14 onboard a children’s train bound for England. A year prior, Mr. Friedman and a friend were on their way home when they spotted a girl struggling to swim in the Danube River. They quickly jumped into the river and saved her life. Their actions earned them notoriety in the local newspaper and in turn helped Mr. Friedman escape from Austria and ultimately the Holocaust. After living in an orphanage in England, Mr. Friedman landed in Baltimore through the aid of a sponsor. He attended Forest Park High School before enrolling in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, where he was a member of the Rho Chi Honor Society. The spirit of helping others did not end with him saving the girl from the river in 1937. In fact, Mr. Friedman has spent the rest of his life helping others. Upon graduation, he began working at Read’s Drug Store on Gay Street. With a desire to serve his new country, he joined the
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Army, becoming a medic in the Pacific during World War II and overseeing the hospital pharmacy at Fort Lee, Va., during the Korean War. Following his military service, Mr. Friedman owned a pharmacy in Chesapeake, Va. He and his wife of more than 68 years, Joyce, owned and operated Portlock Pharmacy for more than 30 years. His three children worked at the pharmacy’s soda fountain and made deliveries to customers. The Portlock Pharmacy was a place to gather. A place to sit and talk. And, of course, a place to meet and be helped by “Doc” Friedman. Mr. Friedman was at his happiest while working at the pharmacy. Following his retirement, Mr. Friedman returned to work at the Naval Pharmacy in Norfolk, Va., before returning home to Baltimore where he has lived since, always feeling a great debt to the country that welcomed him, and to those who provided him an education and a means of making a living. Now 95, he has always loved pharmacy and the opportunity to serve. b