University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

December 8, 2000

Contact: Jody Oesterreicher (312) 996-8277; joest@uic.edu

$1 MILLION GIFT FOR AUTISM RESEARCH TO UIC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

Julius N. Magill, a UIC College of Pharmacy alumnus (class of 1957), has pledged a $1 million gift to create the Julius N. Magill Pediatric Research Fund. The funds will be used to support research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases that severely diminish the quality of life for children.

"I consider the university my stepping stone to success," Magill said. "They can do research on such things as autism and sickle cell anemia. I want children to have an opportunity for a wholesome life. I want to give children a chance at life. I know of no better way."

Magill is the president of the Julius N. Magill Real Estate Co., a property management firm in Lincoln Park. He opened the firm following a career as a retail pharmacist in Chicago. Magill served as a member of the board of directors of the UIC College of Pharmacy Alumni Association from 1997 to 2000. He resides in Wilmette.

Magill made a separate $1 million commitment to the university in the early 1990s to create the Julius Magill and Joshua O'Neal Endowment in Honor of Joseph S. Begando. Begando, professor emeritus of health policy and administration, is a former chancellor of the medical center.

The College of Pharmacy, founded in 1859 as a private institution, joined the University of Illinois system in 1896. U.S. News & World Report ranks the college among the nation's top 15 colleges of pharmacy for excellence in scholarship, curriculum and quality of faculty and students.

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