On May 1, Herbert Minoru Tsuchiya was named the UW School of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumnus in Pharmacy Practice for 2008, a prestigious distinction awarded ev-ery two years. He was presented the award at a reception on May 6 at the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Tsuchiya graduated from the UW School of Pharmacy in 1955. After completing his degree, he worked as a Seattle area pharmacist for more than 50 years.

His professional experience also includes working as a clinic pharmacist manager at Columbia Health Center Pharmacy and Rainier Park Medical Clinic. In these roles, he worked with underserved populations, including seniors, immigrants, and low-income children.

In 1991, Tsuchiya co-founded Seattle Walk for Rice, the annual fundraiser for the Asian Counseling and Referral Service food bank. He also co-founded the Kin On Health Care Center, the nation’s first nursing home operated by the Chinese community to serve non-English-speaking Asian people.